Jury Reaches Partial Verdict in Baby Starvation Case

A jury has reached a partial verdict in the murder case of a homeless Philadelphia woman charged in the starvation death of her baby at a shelter.

The jury did not announce its findings, but returns Friday to try to decide the remaining charges against 34-year-old Tanya Williams.

Williams was living with her six children at a Travelers Aid shelter when two-month-old Quasir Alexander died in 2010, and his twin was found near death.

Philadelphia prosecutor Peter Lim says Williams was getting social services from several agencies, but still let the baby die.

Defense lawyer Gregory Pagano calls his 34-year-old client “a scapegoat” for the failures of city-funded case workers, doctors and others.

Jurors can choose first- or third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter or an acquittal. Williams is also charged with child endangerment and the attempted murder of the surviving twin.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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