A baby sitter accused of fatally shaking a toddler has been convicted on aggravated manslaughter and child endangerment charges.
But the Asbury Park Press reported that a Monmouth County jury acquitted Michelle Heale of a murder charge stemming from the 2012 death of 14-month-old Mason Hess.
The Toms River resident was taken in to custody after the verdicts were rendered Friday. She faces up to 30 years in prison when she's sentenced June 26.
Heale testified that the toddler went limp after she hit him between his shoulder blades to save him from choking on apple sauce. The boy was flown to a children's hospital, where he died three days later.
Doctors later determined the boy suffered severe brain, spine and retinal damage from a violent shaking. But jurors heard conflicting medical testimony.
