Child died in hands of foster mother who tried to save her life, defense says

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Henry County jurors Thursday heard from a defense expert who says a 2-year-old girl died at the hands of her foster mother, as the mother tried to save her life.

Jennifer and Joseph Rosenbaum are accused of killing their foster child, 2 year old Laila Daniel in 2015. The couple claims the girl choked on a chicken bone.
An autopsy found she died from a severe beating.

On Thursday, the defense called three witnesses, including a former Georgia Bureau Investigation chief medical examiner. Forensic pathologist Dr. Kris Sperry told jurors he was hired by the defense.

During a nearly three-hour testimony, he also went over autopsy pictures of Laila's body. He talked to the jury about the various bruises on her body when she died and his conclusions from them.

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“The injuries are so excessive because it was a life-or-death situation,” says Sperry. He told the jury the injuries on Laila were because Jennifer Rosenbaum  inaccurately tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver and CPR.

Earlier in the trial, Laila's older sister, Millie, testified the Rosenbaums would beat her and Laila, sometimes with a belt.

Sperry told the jury the photos he saw after Laila died showed no evidence of that.

Channel 2's Lauren Pozen was in the courtroom for the entire day. She noticed the Rosenbaums looking down at the defense table during testimony. Pozen also sat in the back of the courtroom and noted the gallery was packed with people.

Court resumes Friday at 9 a.m., and the defense is expected to present closing arguments then.

Cox Media Group