Aberdeen Woman Found Guilty of Beating Infant for Crying

An Aberdeen woman faces up to 30 years in jail for first-degree child abuse and neglect in the beating of her 8-month-old daughter, according to Harford County State's Attorney Joseph Cassilly.

Kayla Marie Barker, 25, of the unit block of Spesutia Road, repeatedly beat her 8-month-old daughter in the head on April 17, 2012, because the child would not stop crying, Cassilly said.

Evidence presented at the trial, which ended Thursday, indicated that the child had multiple skull fractures and was taken to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, where authorities determined she had been abused, according to Cassilly.

Barker's daughter was transferred to Johns Hopkins, where the child crisis team confirmed the abuse; the child has since recovered and been placed in foster care, Cassilly said.

Harford County Deputy State’s Attorney Diana A. Brooks prosecuted the case, presenting the evidence over a three-day period. The Harford County Child Advocacy Center and the Harford County Sheriff's Office assisted in the investigation, according to the Cassilly's statement.

After two and a half hours of deliberation, a Harford County grand jury found Barker guilty of first-degree child abuse and neglect of a minor, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years, Cassilly said.

Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

Related: Aberdeen Woman Charged with Child Abuse