Dad to stand trial for murder of 3-month-old daughter (Woodstock, Illinois)

Dad SALVADOR AVILA is standing trial on murder charges in the death of his infant daughter. No mention of the mother, or if Daddy was the "caretaker."

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT

http://www.nwherald.com/2011/09/22/father-to-stand-trial-in-infant-girls-death/ayagu7t/

Created: Monday, September 26, 2011 5:30 a.m.

Father to stand trial in infant girl’s death

By SARAH SUTSCHEK

WOODSTOCK – The trial of a man accused of shaking his infant daughter to death in 2008 is expected to begin Tuesday.

Salvador Avila, who was 18 at the time but now is 22, has chosen a bench trial, meaning that the verdict will be decided by McHenry County Judge Gordon Graham rather than a jury.

Avila first was charged with aggravated battery of a child and aggravated domestic battery. After test results from the baby’s brain tissue and other medical evidence, the charges were updated to include first-degree murder. He has remained in jail on $500,000 bond.

Salvador Avila brought Sophia Avila, who was unconscious, to Mercy Harvard Hospital on Feb. 16, 2008. She later was taken to Rockford Memorial Hospital for treatment of brain injuries and died about two days later. She was a few days short of 3 months old.

Avila, who was arrested the day after the alleged shaking, was denied a request for a furlough so he could attend the infant’s funeral.

Graham previously ruled that prior injuries to Sophia Avila would be admissible in court. About three weeks before she died, the baby was taken to Centegra Hospital – Woodstock and then was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital for further treatment, where CT scans were taken, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said that medical records from both hospitals showed injuries including a fractured rib and a healing fracture of another rib. The baby also suffered abdominal bruising and a probable liver injury, they said.

Prosecutors previously said they do not intend to present any evidence that Avila caused the alleged earlier injuries, but simply that the injuries were present. They also are allowed to show autopsy photos in court.

Avila’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Kim Messer, said that the witnesses she planned to call to the stand included a forensic pathologist and a neurosurgeon.

“I believe he’s innocent,” Messer said, but she declined to elaborate.

Prosecutors expect to finish presenting their case on Friday or the following Monday, said Phil Hiscock, criminal chief for the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office. The trial may stretch into a third week because of scheduling issues with defense witnesses.