The trial of a man accused of beating his 7 month old daughter to death after he thought she broke his $600 Xbox console has begun.
He suggested in the trial that he confessed to protect the child's mother. The defense claims the mans confession statement was coerced and does not match the child's injuries. The trial is expected to continue for several days.
In Alayiah's case, police believe that an enraged Tyrone Spellman pummeled the toddler after she pulled down his video game console. She endured five powerful blows to the head that fractured her skull in three places, Assistant District Attorney James Berardinelli said.
"What was her crime? What did she do to deserve having her skull cracked like an eggshell?" Berardinelli asked in opening statements. "She broke his beloved Xbox."
Spellman, 27, had been watching the baby while girlfriend Mia Turman, who was eight months pregnant with their second child, took a nap. He showered and dressed, then left to go out, allegedly while Alayiah lay dying.
Two witnesses _ a housemate and his girlfriend _ say they entered the house as Spellman was leaving, Berardinelli said. The girlfriend heard quiet groans coming from a bedroom and found the child, he said.
Police kept Spellman in custody for about 24 hours while they gathered witness statements and awaited the autopsy results. After several conflicting statements, he eventually told them that he had slapped his daughter several times and thrown her against a chair, both sides agree.
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In Alayiah's case, police believe that an enraged Tyrone Spellman pummeled the toddler after she pulled down his video game console. She endured five powerful blows to the head that fractured her skull in three places, Assistant District Attorney James Berardinelli said.
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