Alexander Lucas Barnes was found guilty Thursday of second-degree murder and child abuse causing death for inflicting fatal injuries to his girlfriend’s 9-month-old son while he was babysitting the baby for the first time.
Alexander Lucas Barnes, now 20, became angry when the infant would not stop crying Oct. 6, 2009, and caused blunt-force-trauma injuries to the baby’s head, Deputy District Attorney Steve McGreevy contended. Barnes was 18 when the infant died
The jury of eight women and four men deliberated three and a half days before reaching its decision, which two of them said was tough because of a baby’s death and the age of the defendant.
“It was also difficult because we were dealing with a young man” and his future, said juror Ernst Ghermann of Huntington Beach.
Barnes was baby-sitting Isaiah Prim-Ortiz while his girl friend, the mother of the baby, attended a class at a nearby community college when the fatal injuries were inflicted, McGreevy argued.
Isaiah was rushed to Western Medical Center when Barnes’ mother noticed he wasn’t breathing. Doctors worked on the baby for four hours before he was declared dead.
An autopsy revealed that the infant had a large skull fracture, McGreevy said.
Barnes now faces a maximum term of 25 years to life in prison at his sentencing on Jan. 13 by Superior Court Judge Richard Toohey.
Deputy Public Defender Bryan Harris contended that nobody knows for sure how or when Isaiah was injured. The fatal injuries could have been sustained anytime during a 24-window prior to his death, Harris said, which leaves reasonable doubt as to Barnes’ guilt.
While there was no direct evidence in the case, jurors said after the verdict was read they could not find another way the child who sustained six skull fractures could have been injured.
Barnes was arrested and charged with murder in May 2010 after a lengthy investigation by Santa Ana police detectives.
Lengthy jury deliberations cause anxiousness, but in a baby death case “everyone wants to make sure they get it right,” McGreevy said following the verdict.
Harris shook his head in disappointment when the court clerk read the jury’s finding, while Barnes looked straight ahead from the defense table
