A jury has reached a verdict of not guilty in the second-degree murder trial of Cynthia Kahleel.
The Spokesman Review reports that 31-year-old Khaleel was accused of beating her 5-year-old nephew Gary Blanton III to death in 2015.
According to court documents, Khaleel told detectives she heard a loud bang early in the morning on April 17, 2015, and found Blanton crying on the floor and saying that his ear hurt. She said she believed he fell while climbing on his sister's crib and found no visible injuries. About three hours later she was unable to wake him up and called 911. Blanton was flown to the hospital and died later in the day.
Documents say Blanton's skull fracture didn't appear to have been caused by a fall according to a doctor. Blanton also had multiple bruises on his body.
A jury deliberated for a few hours on Monday and continued deliberations on Tuesday before the jury reached a verdict.
Khaleel was found not guilty of second degree murder Tuesday afternoon, The Spokesman Review reported.
(story & photo: KHQ.com)