By Associated Press - Wednesday, June 20, 2018

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A Spokane jury has acquitted a Chattaroy woman charged in the death of her adoptive 5-year-old nephew.

The Spokesman-Review reports 31-year-old Cynthia Khaleel was found not guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder in the April 2015 death of Gary Blanton III.

Investigators charged Khaleel based on medical reviews that determined the boy’s skull fracture was too severe to have been caused by a fall from climbing on a crib.

Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Deric Martin and Spokane County Sheriff’s detective Mike Drapeau declined to comment.

In court arguments, Martin claimed that the stresses of caring for six children was too much for Khaleel and she lost her temper before attacking her nephew.

Defense attorney Bevan Maxey says the jury considered the evidence, which did not support the allegations.

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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com

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