Sentencing Delayed For Molino Man Guilty Of Killing His Infant Daughter

November 8, 2008

Sentencing was delayed Friday for a Molino man found guilty of manslaughter for killing his infant daughter in 2006.

Christopher Paterson, 28, was found guilty of the death of his one year old daughter Ali Jean Paterson in late September. A jury deliberated for only about two hours before returning the guilty verdict.

Paterson could be sentenced to from nine to 15 years in state prison the death  of Ali Jean Paterson. Assistant Public Defender Fred Carmody told the court on Friday that he needed more time to discuss the sentence with his client.

Ali Jean Paterson died on November 26, 2006, from burns she received two weeks earlier when she was left unattended in a hot bath, according to authorities. Paterson told deputies he placed the child in shower that just felt warm and went to another room to get a towel. He said that when he returned, Ali was screaming, and there was steam rising from the shower. He then called 911 after noticing red sores on the child.Ali survived at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for two weeks before she died.

This was not Paterson’s first involvement with authorities over Ali. The Department of Children and Families investigated a broken leg she suffered in May 2006. Paterson and Brittany Knapp, Ali’s mother, took Ali to the hospital with a broken leg. They said her leg was broken when it became trapped in a slot in her crib. DCF did not find that the incident was abuse at that time.

Paterson was indicted by a grand jury on second degree manslaughter charges in February of 2007. He was arrested on May 1, 2007, near Gainesville. He has remained in jail since his arrest.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News