(Court opinion corrected 11/3/16.) Defendant was convicted, after bench trial, of aggravated battery of a child, based on injuries to Defendant's newborn son. Court accurately considered all of the evidence in reaching her verdict, including Defendant's theory of rickets as an alternative cause of some of infant's injuries. Court commented on defense theories and evidence, but knew and properly applied burden of p[roof. A reasonable trier of fact could infer that infant was shaken on a prior occasion and that Defendant shook him. State's experts did not rely on infant's constellation of injuries for any opinions that he was shaken. State elicited evidence of abusive causation as to each separate injury and offered evidence to refute that infant suffered from preexisting medical conditions to explain those injuries. Evidence was sufficient to prove Defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. (ELLIS and BURKE, concurring.)
Illinois Appellate Court
Criminal Court
Expert Witnesses