MARSHALL, Texas (AP) - An East Texas jury has convicted a 29-year-old man of capital murder for the death of his former girlfriend’s 21-month-old son.
The conviction of Deterryon Tyrell Kelly carries an automatic sentence of life without parole. Jurors in Marshall in Harrison County deliberated about two hours before returning their verdict Friday.
Kelly and his girlfriend, Jameshia Cooks, were staying at a Marshall motel in May 2014 when her child, Ja’Keen Naevon Sanders, was found unresponsive.
Kelly contended the boy had become stuck between a bed and a night stand. The Marshall News Messenger reports (https://bit.ly/2dy2l3P ) Cooks testified Kelly became angry because the child had urinated on him. A surveillance video outside the hotel showed him slapping the child in the head.
Jurors rejected several lesser offenses included in their instructions.
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Information from: Marshall News Messenger, https://www.coxnews.com/marshall.htm
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