UPDATE: March 3, 2:10 p.m.
Austin Stevens was found guilty and automatically sentenced to life in prison. Get the details below.
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Original story follows:
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Austin Stevens vigorously shook his head during the opening arguments at his murder trial, as the prosecutor described his 10-month-old daughter's fatal injuries.
Stevens, 31, a former youth football coach in Montgomery County, is charged not only with killing his daughter, but also with sexually assaulting her.
Listen to the report from KYW Newsradio's Jim Melwert:
Prosecutor Brianna Ringwood told jurors that on Oct. 3, 2020, Stevens waited more than an hour to call 911 after the infant became unresponsive inside his apartment on Germantown Pike, near Grange Avenue, in Lower Providence.
He told investigators the girl fell in the tub, but Ringwood said that was a lie to cover up what he did. Once the little girl got to the hospital, there were no signs of life — but there were signs of sexual assault.
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The cause of death was blunt force trauma to her head. Doctors said her injuries were consistent with her being shaken and hit against something at least twice.
During the hour before he called 911, Ringwood said Stevens’ internet search history showed phrases such as “infant not breathing” and “how do you know a baby is dead?” Stevens also sent flirtatious texts to another woman.
However, Stevens’ lawyer, Evan Kelly, asked jurors not to rush to judgment. He argued there are no witnesses, motives or corroborating evidence.
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