Illinois woman who killed boyfriend's 8-year-old daughter by kicking her so hard her intestine ruptured faces life in prison
BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS: An Illinois woman who subjected her boyfriend's daughter to severe abuse and killed her by kicking her so hard her intestine ripped open has been convicted of her charges by a jury and is likely to spend the rest of her life behind bars.
The woman, 41-year-old Cynthia Baker, came to the attention of authorities this past January after her boyfriend Richard Rountree's eight-year-old daughter, Rica, died from peritonitis, a condition caused by the rupturing of the intestine, according to WGLT.
During the subsequent investigation, detectives found disturbing footage of Baker and Rountree abusing the child in their cellphones, which they confiscated after her arrest in April.
In one of the videos, a frail-looking Rica can be seen in the family's apartment in Bloomington where she was forced to hold cans in her outstretched arms for prolonged periods.
In another video, which Baker recorded and shared with Rountree, she slams the eight-year-old's head against the wall and slaps her naked body.
Uncovered text messages showed that Rountree condoned the abuse, with some showing the pair exchanging complaints about Rica and their mutual desire that she lives somewhere else without them.
The abuse was so regular that their other children walked past Rica without as much as a second glance when she was being harshly disciplined.
The Pantagraph reported that Rica suffered intestinal perforation for up to five days before she was rushed to a hospital, where she died on January 26, and that before being taken in, she vomited at dinner, could no longer see, and almost fell down the stairs because of her wounds.
During Baker's trial, forensic pathologist Dr. John Denton revealed that Rica had more than 50 marks on her body caused by child abuse.
Her own daughter testified that she had seen her mother kick Rica twice in the weeks before the young girl's death. Assistant State Attorney Erika Reynolds similarly told the jury the young girl was "battered and abused in front of every kid in this house".
The jury of eight women and four men deliberated for about five hours over two days before finding Baker guilty of murder, aggravated battery of a child, domestic battery and child endangerment.
The 41-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3 and will be eligible for life in prison after the jury found the murder to be "heinous" and committed with "wanton cruelty".