WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather & Sports Jury finds man guilty on all counts in toddler's death

The jury has determined that a man is guilty on all counts in the death of a 2-year-old girl. They began deliberating at about 4 p.m.

Jurors heard more than an hour of continuous testimony from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's medical examiner on Friday morning. 

Kevin Johnson, of Rincon, faces charges in the death of toddler Melanie Haynes, who died from severe head injuries while Johnson was watching her in February 2010.

"My life right now isn't complete because I'll never see Melanie again. I'll never see Angela. I'm double heartbroken," he told the court.

Johnson insists that Melanie's injuries were an accident when he was babysitting and that she fell off the sofa and bumped head. He testified that he slapped her and she also fell in the bathtub. He insisted that must be why she died.

That story with investigators has changed since the girl's 2010 death. He had also told investigators that he was swinging her around and she hit her head. In his testimony Friday, Johnson admitted that he lied about that.

When asked in court why he lied about that, he said, "Wouldn't you lie? Everyone would lie to save themselves if he could." He said he was fearful of the deputies and that's why he didn't tell the truth.

Prosecutors asked Johnson if he was trying to tell the jurors what they wanted to hear. He said yes.

Earlier, state prosecutors called the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner Dr. Jamie Downs to the stand.  

Downs performed the autopsy on Melanie on Feb. 12, 2010. Because he has been qualified as an expert he is allowed to give his opinion to juror about the case. He is also expected to present facts in his autopsy report.

Photos taken by deputies of Melanie in the intensive care unit and the autopsy were shown in court Friday morning. Downs described what he believes is "pattern" bruises, which he said is like when a shoe leaves a tread mark in the dirt, or in this case, the skin.

A noticeable bruise covering most of Melanie's forehead and nose was caused in Downs' opinion by a hairbrush. He said an injury that would leave a mark like that "was caused by pretty good force. It doesn't happen with light blow". He actually bought a similar hairbrush to one found at crime scene and hit himself with it and said he had to smack himself hard to get a similar pattern as the one scene in Melanie. 

In one of his diagrams documenting bruises to Melanie's head, he ran out of room for notes. One of the most telling diagrams he showed was of her spine and spinal cord. 

Of the 10 vertebrae examined in her chest and neck, Downs found bleeding. He said bleeding in that area of the body would only result from one of two things – a car crash or multiple blunt force injuries. Melanie had not been in a car crash.

The judge ordered a 15-minute break, at which time Melanie's maternal grandmother openly sobbed in court and was escorted out by family members. 

Johnson has remained motionless throughout Downs' testimony.

The defense cross-examined Downs. The defense attorney asked him if some of the smaller bruises could be typical bruises that children get.

She also asked Downs about whether the deputies giving Melanie CPR and could those have injured the child in any way. Downs said yes, but not forceful enough to injure her in a way that he documented.

Jurors were shown the hairbrush from the crime scene and how it could have injured the child's face, which Downs believes it did.

Jurors were then sent to take a lunch recess.

Defense then took a short break to talk to Johnson. He told them that he wanted to take the stand. When the judge then asked him if he wanted to take the stand, he said yes.

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