Prosecutors say Iniubong Ebong beat his baby, Indiya Ebong, because she was crying the day after Thanksgiving in 2010. An autopsy later found the baby to have 24 broken ribs and bones and a lacerated liver.
There was little to no emotion from LaQuisha Downs as she took the stand Thursday in the trial against her husband accused of brutally beating their five-month-old daughter Indiya to death. Downs testified she was working a Black Friday shift at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving in 2010 and left baby Indiya with her father. She also told the jury she and the defendant had been exchanging text messages throughout the day.
Later, a CPS worker assigned to the case said the father hadn't seen his baby for a month and a half before the days leading up to her death. The worker also testified Ebong showed no emotion when giving his statement and he never mentioned he dropped the baby, possibly on a toy, or that she had been crying.
Next on the stand was Houston Police Officer Lovelace. He told jurors it is common practice to be present during an autopsy, yet this one stood out because of all the injuries he saw.
Shortly into the medical examiner's autopsy he said he realized, "What little (Ebong) told me before did not match what I saw during the autopsy, and I felt the need to interview him again."
The trial is expected to last another week.
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