Jury Finds Grandmother Not Guilty Of Murder, Guilty Of Child Abuse
BRIGHTON, Colo. (CBS4) - Jurors in the murder trial of a Commerce City grandmother have reached a split verdict.
Becky Trujillo, 61, was found not guilty of first degree murder of her 4-year-old grandson Gabe, but jurors found her guilty of criminally negligent child abuse.
Before reaching their verdict jurors paused during deliberations and asked the judge what was the difference between "negligence" and "neglect." The judge told them they already had those legal definitions.
Gabe died in February 2011.
The family left court in tears after Trujillo was found guilty of criminally negligent child abuse, resulting in severe bodily injury. She could face up to 6 years in prison. She was facing a potential life sentence before beating the first-degree murder charge in her grandson's death.
"There is no happiness for anyone in this case," Trujillo's attorney Darin Mangnall said. "Gabriel is dead and that's the tragedy here. It's unfortunate they tried to blame it on her. She did not cause his death and I think that's what they found today."
Jurors struggled for three days to reach a verdict.
