Jury to deliberate in case of pet python that killed Fla. toddler
(CBS/WKMG/AP) BUSHNELL, Fla. - A six-member jury is expected to begin deliberating following closing arguments Thursday in the trial of a Florida woman and her boyfriend charged in the death of a toddler who was strangled in her crib by a pet python.
Jaren Hare, 21, and her 34-year-old live-in boyfriend Jason Damell are charged with manslaughter and child abuse in the July 2009 death of Shanianna Hare, the woman's daughter.
Testimony concluded Wednesday with lawyers for Hare and Darnell calling the death an unpredictable accident. Prosecutors say the pair should be held accountable for failing to keep the 8-foot-6-inch albino Burmese python properly caged.
Documents show the snake had escaped repeatedly in the month before the girl's death.
Defense attorneys told jurors that neither Hare nor her boyfriend saw the snake as a threat, reports CBS affiliate WKMG.
A deuty medical examiner testified Wednesday that the python wrapped itself around 2-year-old Shianna Hare's head in an attempt to eat her on July 1, 2009. Testimony revealed the snake had not been fed for a month before the attack.
Hare and Darnell face up to 35 years if convicted on third-degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect charges.
More on Crimesider
July 13, 2011 - Defense rests in Fla. case of pet python that killed toddler
July 12, 2011 - Trial near in case of python that killed Fla. toddler