Rosalie died when she was 2 years old, wracked with seizures from a fractured skull.
Later this week, an Elmore County jury will determine if her step-grandmother is responsible for her death. Pamella Shelton, 54, faces murder charges in the case, court records show. She was indicted in October.
"Mrs. Shelton is a loving, grieving grandmother," said Jennifer Holton, her attorney. "She has been consistent in her statements of being not guilty in all of this."
The autopsy showed Rosalie died of blunt-force trauma to the head.
“She had fractures all over her skull,” said Chief Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson. “There was no way these injuries were consistent with an accident; Rosalie falling out of the crib or rolling off the couch. When the 911 call came in, medics found her in the home seizing and throwing up.”
The defense was expected to use medical history that Rosalie was diabetic and had a history of seizures before her death. That plan was shot down in a pre-trial motion hearing on Monday, just after the jury was struck. Circuit Judge Bill Lewis Jr. ruled the medical information was not admissible, Robinson said.
“There is absolutely no medical history that shows Rosalie was diabetic or had a history of seizures,” he said. “In her previous visits to doctors, she had nothing diagnosed that would remotely show she was diabetic or prone to seizures. Our position is Shelton told the responding paramedics that she had health problems in an effort to cover up her actions.”
Rosalie was in the care of her step-aunt and Shelton. The investigation of the Wetumpka Police Department shows Shelton was responsible for the injuries,
