Haleigh's stepfather guilty of child abuse

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A jury in Springfield, Mass., has convicted the stepfather of Haleigh Poutre of child abuse, court officials say.

Jason Strickland, 34, an auto mechanic who testified he did nothing to harm the girl, showed little reaction when found guilty on five of the six counts against him Wednesday, the Boston Globe said. He is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 11 and faces a possible 30 years in prison.

Strickland's trial ended three years after Haleigh's case drew national attention when the state almost took the 11-year-old girl off life support. All such efforts stopped when officials noted she showed visible signs of being alert. Now 14, Haleigh communicates via an alphabet board and can speak simple sentences and feed herself, the Globe said.

The jury found Strickland caused Haleigh to suffer a near-fatal brain injury in September, 2005, but not that he actually inflicted it. He was found guilty of "recklessly permitting" the injury to occur. The jury also found him guilty of counts related to striking Haleigh or watching her being hit. He was acquitted on a charge related to a kicking of the girl.

Jurors appeared to conclude Strickland's late wife, Holli, was the chief abuser and he stood by without protecting the girl. Holli died in an apparent murder-suicide with her grandmother shortly after the Stricklands were arrested.