19-Year-Old Accused Of Killing Girlfriend's 2-Year-Old Daughter Makes First Appearance In Court
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A young man accused in the death of a toddler from Stowe Township made his first appearance in court.
After Friday's preliminary hearing, 19-year-old Kyrell Morgan will have his day in court to fight charges of criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of children.
The 2-year-old girl in this case is Brielle Swinton. Police said Morgan was dating her mother and babysitting while the mom was at work.
Paramedics were called later that night when the child became unresponsive. The doctor said the child had a large bruise across her abdomen and an autopsy showed her liver had been lacerated.
The medical examiner said it appeared the baby had been squeezed from behind and died slowly after the injury.
KDKA-TV talked with Morgan's family outside the courtroom on Friday. They said he would have never hurt the child and blamed the child's mother. His attorney, Blaine Jones, believes some of the testimony in court on Friday essentially vindicated his client.
"The mother testified under oath that in the six months that her and Mr. Morgan were together, at no point in time did she see or witness him put his hands on any of her kids," Jones said.
The little girl's mom told police before she left for work that the child was fine, but Morgan began texting her throughout the day that she was sick.
Morgan will be formally arraigned next month.