A Tampa Bay area man has been convicted in the death of his former girlfriend's toddler son.
A Hillsborough County jury Thursday found 31-year-old Michell Blanco guilty of child abuse and second-degree murder. The Tampa Bay Times reports the panel declined to convict him of first-degree murder.
Authorities say Blanco was watching 3-year-old Alexis Garcia in May 2010 while the child's mother was at work. The boy ended up with two skull fractures that doctors say were likely caused by a fist or some other blunt object.
Blanco's attorney said the boy was chasing ducks near a pond behind their apartment complex when he fell on a concrete walkway and hit his head on a footbridge's wooden railing.
Doctors testified it was unlikely the damage could have been done by a fall.
