Man Sentenced To 40 Years In Shaking Death Of Girlfriend's Infant Son
BALTIMORE, Md (WJZ) — Cornelius McBride pled guilty to child abuse in the May 2016 murder of his girlfriend's ten-month son, Kahlil Cannady.
McBride was sentenced to 40 years in prison with all but 20 years suspended and five years of supervised probation.
He was also sentenced to serve a five-year concurrent sentence for a domestic violence incident in March 2017 involving the victim's mother.
On May 25, 2016, police responded at around 11 p.m. to the University of Maryland Hospital to investigate a report of child abuse.
McBride and the victim's mother had transported the 6-month-old infant to the hospital where medical staff diagnosed the victim with several injuries, including a seizure, retinal hemorrhaging, traumatic brain injury and rib fractures.
After four months of intensive care, Cannady passed away on September 24, 2016. The victim was 10-months-old.
In his initial testimony, McBride said that Cannady hit his head on the bathtub as his 11-year-old daughter bathed the victim. Originally, his daughter's statements matched his, but interviews afterward with police revealed a very different story.
The 11-year-old was not home during the incident and McBride had told her to take responsibility for the victim's injuries. Several witnesses also confirmed that the infant, who had behaved normally throughout the day, was alone with McBride when his seizures were reported.
Homicide detectives consulted with pediatric physicians regarding the validity of the details of McBride's story and the case. They determined that the child's injuries happened before the onset of the seizure, at the time the infant was alone with McBride.
Doctor's concluded the severity of Cannady's injuries was inconsistent with a simple fall inside a bathtub, and was the result of high-level intentional trauma to the head. One physician told detectives that the injuries suffered by the infant were some of the worst she had ever seen.
The victim's death was ruled a homicide September 25, 2016.
McBride was arrested on August 15, 2017.
"As a mother, my heart breaks for the unimaginable violence this innocent little baby suffered," said State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby. "This defendant will now have to suffer the consequences of his despicable actions and no longer walk freely in our community for the foreseeable future. We will continue to support the family of baby Kahlil as they try to heal from this horrible ordeal,"
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