Man On Trial Accused Of Beating Adopted Son
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Deliberations will continue after an emotional day in which two jurors wept as a prosecutors described evidence in a trial against a man accused of beating his adopted teenage son with a wooden stick and a meat tenderizer.
The jurors wiped tears Friday during the closing arguments in the trial of 40-year-old Jeremiah Lovato. The Colorado Springs Gazette reports he faces more than 20 counts on allegations that he kicked, strangled, and stomped the teenager, now 15-years-old. Prosecutors say the beatings happened beginning in January 2008 when Lovato took custody of the boy.
Jurors will continue to deliberate Tuesday. Lovato's defense attorney urged jurors to convict his client of third-degree assault, the least serious of the charges. Lovato's attorney disputed the prosecution's assertions regarding the severity of the boy's injuries.
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