A jury has found a Red Deer man guilty of manslaughter in the death of 18-month-old Garth Leippi.
Evan Caswell Gilmer, 33, was charged with second-degree murder in the Oct. 13, 2008, death of the Red Deer infant.
The jury, which began deliberations on Monday, came back late Tuesday afternoon with their decision, delivered in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench.
A pre-sentence report was ordered. Gilmer will return to court on Nov. 7, to set a date for sentencing.
Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Monica Bast told the jury Monday before deliberating that to reach a second-degree murder conviction the jury must find that Gilmer had the state of mind to cause the death.
She also said they could convict him of the lesser but included offence of manslaughter.
Leippi was rushed to Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre about 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2008, after he was discovered by paramedics lying on the living room floor unconscious and not breathing.
Leippi died the next day in a Calgary hospital when he was removed from life support after suffering a severe brain injury at a Red Deer apartment where he lived with his mother, Jennifer Gladue, and her boyfriend Gilmer.
Evidence indicated the boy suffered blunt force trauma to the back of his head.
The jury heard evidence for three weeks in the trial which saw evidence presented from several medical experts for the Crown and an American medical expert for the defence.
— copyright Red Deer Advocate