A Caddo Parish jury returned a guilty verdict Wednesday, February 8, 2017, against a Shreveport man accused of the November 27, 2013 death of a 17-month-old child.
The four-man, eight woman jury found Gerderrick Dashawn Davis, 29, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Anthony Z’Bario Scott, the toddler son of his girlfriend, while she was at work and he tended the child in their apartment in the 3500 block of Milam Street. The unresponsive youth was taken to University Health Shreveport, where he was pronounced dead.
Davis originally was charged with first-degree murder but the charge was reduced last fall.
The jury heard eight witnesses during the trial, which began Monday, February 6, 2017. It presented District Judge Ramona Emanuel with its verdict just before 6:40 p.m.
Davis will return to court March 21, 2017, for sentencing. He faces a mandatory life sentence without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.
Prosecutors in the case were Assistant District Attorneys Ed Blewer and Aaron Crawford. Davis was represented by Kurt Goins and William Stampley.