Jan 30, 2008 9:04 am US/Eastern
Man Convicted In Death Of Daughter Over Video Game
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ―
A man who spent long hours each day playing video games was convicted
Tuesday of killing his 17-month-old daughter when she pulled down his Xbox
console.
Jurors rejected arguments that Tyrone Spellman confessed
to protect the child's mother.
After a day of deliberation, they convicted Spellman of third-degree
murder and child endangerment, which expose him to about 23 to 47 years in
prison.
Prosecutors believe he pummeled Alayiah Turman, cracking
her skull several times, while her pregnant mother napped in another room on Sept. 7, 2006.
They argued that Spellman fled the house afterward, and
that the mother, Mia Turman, had no reason to go in the bedroom where the baby
was found.
"He (Spellman) spent six to seven hours a day in
there playing Xbox," Assistant District Attorney James Berardinelli said.
Spellman, 27, of Philadelphia,
confessed to police the next day, but defense lawyer Bobby Hoof noted that his
statement came after 24 hours in custody.
"He's not happy with the verdict. He does not agree
with the verdict, but he respects the jury verdict," Hoof said of
Spellman.
An autopsy showed that Alayiah had suffered a broken arm
about two weeks before she died -- an injury that city social workers did not
see on two visits to the house in late August, when they found the baby well.
The city took custody of the couple's second daughter,
born after Alayiah's death.
Alayiah was one of at least 20 children who died of abuse
or neglect between 2003 and 2006 after coming to the attention of the Department
of Human Services, The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported.
The jury acquitted Spellman of first-degree murder.
Sentencing is set for March 13, Hoof said.
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(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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