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Jury finds man guilty in Colorado infant's 2016 death

Posted at 10:05 AM, Apr 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-04 12:05:50-04

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A jury has found a 25-year-old man guilty in the death of a northern Colorado infant.

The Coloradoan reports that Juan Canales-Hernandez was accused of fatally hitting 11-month-old RaeLynn Martinez in 2016.

Martinez was the daughter of Canales-Hernandez's then-girlfriend, Alexa Coria.

Prosecutors say Martinez died two days after Canales-Hernandez threw a 17-pound (8-kilogram) chair at her.

Canales-Hernandez's defense argued that baby's injuries were instead indicative of shaken baby syndrome caused after Coria become frustrated.

On Tuesday, the jury found Canales-Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder, child abuse and two other charges.

He is facing a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Canales-Hernandez will be formally sentenced on Thursday.

Coria was sentenced to five years of community corrections in May after pleading guilty to lying to police about the baby's death.

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Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, http://www.coloradoan.com