An Indiana man has been convicted of beating, biting and fracturing the skull of his then two-year-old daughter during a visit to Atlanta last year.
A jury found Donald Franklin, 19, guilty of charges of attempted murder, cruelty to children and aggravated assault and battery on his daughter, Kania Wilford, Fulton County District attorney Paul Howard said in a statement announcing the verdict.
On Oct. 29, 2010, Fulton County police were called to a home on Highgreen Trail in Atlanta where they found Kania unconscious. She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent extensive treatment and surgery. Her head was disfigured and required several staples to close it. Her body also was covered with bruises and bite marks.
At the time, Franklin made numerous inconsistent statements about how the child was hurt. At first he told police she fell off her bike, then later claimed she fell out of the tub after a bath. He finally admitted to spanking and biting the child out of frustration because she would not go to sleep, according to prosecutors.
The two were visiting relatives in Atlanta at the time of the incident. The child is now three years old and in child protective custody in Indiana. She still suffers from her injuries, is non-communicative and has trouble walking, the statment said.
Franklin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27, 2011.
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