Doctor: Violent shaking caused NC baby’s death

WINSTON-SALEM — A doctor says a North Carolina infant that died in June 2006 had a skull fracture and bleeding in his brain after he was violently shaken.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that Dr. Thomas Nakagawa testified Wednesday that 16-month-old Jamal Markes Shepard also had a bruise on his forehead, a broken arm, brain swelling and bleeding in his eyes.

The baby’s father, 19-year-old Joshua Earl Anderson, is charged with first-degree murder. He could face life in prison if convicted.

Also Wednesday, the baby’s mother testified that Anderson told her the baby slipped from his hands. Anderson’s attorney told jurors Anderson’s IQ verges on mental
retardation.

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