BANGOR, Maine — A jury found Ronald Harding guilty of manslaughter in the 2021 death of his infant son, Jaden, by violently shaking the baby, which caused a stroke.
The jury deliberated a little more than an hour until it reached the verdict.
Harding's defense attorney, William Ashe, asked the judge for an acquittal because the lawyer said he doesn't believe the jury had "sufficient evidence" to convict Harding.
The judge denied the motion.
In closing arguments, Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin told the jury Harding was responsible for violently shaking his infant son. She said the baby was brain-dead when he arrived at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.
"Only one person was with Jaden when he lost consciousness, and that person was Ronald Harding," Robbin said. "No one else could have inflicted the injury that caused Jaden to lose consciousness."
Meanwhile, Ashe argued Jaden had signs of sepsis which caused his death.
"The evidence has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Ronald Harding is innocent," Ashe said. "As he said, his son was everything to him."
On May 31, Harding reportedly called 911 to report his son Jaden Harding was unresponsive and not breathing, according to a news release from Maine State Police.
On Wednesday and Thursday, experts testified. Dr. Elizabeth Bundock, Vermont's Chief Medical Examiner, testified she found the baby had several hemorrhages, including subdural bleeding, in his brain.
According to Bundock, the most common cause of subdural bleeding is injury, like whiplash, from fast movement of the head in relation to the skull.
The defense's expert said the baby had died of COVID complications after the baby had tested positive for COVID at the hospital, but two additional tests were negative.
Harding is being held without bail in the Penobscot County Jail. The judge will decide Harding's sentencing at a later date.