BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A Bismarck man was convicted Thursday in the death of his 12-week-old daughter who died at a hospital in April 2018 - eight days after she was treated for multiple head injuries.
A jury convicted Jose Rivera-Rieffel of murder and child abuse after three hours of deliberation. He faces up to life in prison without parole on the murder charge.
His attorney, Kent Morrow, said the case could have gone either way and his client intends to appeal after sentencing, the Bismarck Tribune reported. Rivera-Rieffel showed no emotion when the verdict was announced.
Prosecutors said Rivera-Rieffel caused the infant’s death either by striking, shaking or applying crushing force to her. Prosecutors said the girl’s injuries could only have been inflicted by Rivera-Rieffel, who was with the girl while the child’s mother was at work.
Burleigh County State’s Attorney Julie Lawyer also said Rivera-Rieffel showed little emotion for his daughter in the presence of emergency workers, and was more worried about himself than the girl.
The baby’s mother, Jennyfer Lopez, pleaded guilty earlier to misdemeanor charges in connection with injuries the girl and a sibling suffered while in Rivera-Rieffel’s care months before the infant’s death. She was sentenced to two years supervised probation in August 2018.
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