EFFINGHAM CO., GA (WTOC) -
A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend's two-year-old daughter is now on trial for murder.
Kevin Johnson faces charges in the death of Melanie Haynes, who died from severe head injuries while Johnson was watching her in February 2010.
Several witnesses took the stand Feb. 15 including officers from the Effingham County Sheriff's Office, paramedics and the dispatcher who took the 911 call. The toddler's mother, Angela Rocha, took the stand in tears, describing how doctors told her that her daughter would never wake up. Rocha testified she was at work when Johnson called 911 Feb. 9, the day Melanie died.
Johnson, who is pleading not guilty, claims the little girl fell off the couch and hit her face. He later changed his story stating the child hit her head in the bathtub. According to his attorney, Johnson stated the little girl was vomiting and having trouble breathing.
Officers and paramedics testified that upon their arrival at the home on Aspen Road in Rincon, the little girl was lying on a bedroom floor unconscious with multiple head injuries and a black eye. She was later pronounced brain dead at Memorial.
The child's babysitter and medical examiner who performed the autopsy are expected to testify. The trial is scheduled to wrap up Friday.
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