Opening arguments were as graphic as they were heartbreaking Wednesday as prosecutors described the condition that 5-month-old Indya Ebong was found in at the hospital three years ago.
Prosecutors told the jury she had 24 broken ribs and bones. Her liver, lung, pancreas and esophagus were all damaged and she also had scratches on the back of her neck. Medical professionals confirmed seeing that on Black Friday in 2010, when the little girl died.
On that horrific day, the infant’s mother was scheduled to work a 12-hour shift at Walmart so she allowed the father, Iniubong Ebong, to babysit. They did not live together.
He called later to tell her that something was wrong. When the mother made it home, she found her daughter unresponsive and the father asleep. She frantically called for help, but her daughter was already dead.
Iniubong Ebong says he is not guilty. His attorney said the injuries were sustained when the girl’s mother came home, found her baby not breathing and attempted to perform CPR on a hard kitchen floor.
The defense accused the investigation of being so results-driven that it lost sight of what really happened.
