EVERETT — The empty green bouncy baby chair sat on the courtroom floor among the other exhibits in the trial of a young Marysville woman accused of killing 4-month-old Kailynn Watson.
Lawyers wrapped up their arguments Thursday about what caused the infant’s death, each saying the evidence jurors heard during the nearly three-week trial proved their respective theories.
Prosecutors allege that Cheyanne Jarrell, 23, shook the baby hard enough to cause injuries to the child’s brain, eyes and spine. The spinal injury, jurors were told, created pressure on an important nerve. That pressure would have caused paralysis affecting the child’s diaphragm, leading to respiratory arrest and depriving her brain of oxygen.
Kailynn stopped breathing Feb. 26, 2016, and doctors declared the girl brain dead three days later.
Jarrell is charged with first-degree manslaughter. Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Matt Baldock alleged that Jarrell’s reckless actions caused the baby’s death.
The defense argued that there were other explanations for the child’s death, including pneumonia, that law enforcement and doctors failed to adequately investigate.
The trial showcased the ongoing controversy among some medical and legal experts surrounding what can happen to young children when shaken or otherwise roughly handled. Jurors heard days of complicated medical testimony. The defendant was the last to take the witness stand.
Jarrell, a new mom, watched Kailynn while she stayed home taking care of her own infant daughter. The girls were born in October 2015, just a day apart, jurors were told. Jarrell knew Kailynn’s family through her mom and had babysat the girl’s older sister.
Jarrell told the jury Wednesday she was never rough with Kailynn, never yelled at her or did anything to hurt her. “I loved watching Kailynn,” she said.
“She was part of our family. I thought (the girls would) grow up to be little best friends,” Jarrell said through tears.
She disputed allegations she had become frustrated with Kailynn. She told jurors it was “easy” watching the infant and her own daughter.
Jarrell acknowledged she had asked Kailynn’s mom for advice because the girl was spitting up her formula and was fussy at times. The girl’s mom suggested swaddling the baby to calm her.
“The state wants you to take her asking for tips and turn it into something sinister,” said Cassie Trueblood, a lawyer with the Snohomish County Public Defender Association.
Trueblood called the prosecution a “witch hunt” relying on shoddy police work and bad science. The death of a child is a tragedy, and trying to pin it on an innocent person is a travesty, Trueblood said.
“For grieving parents, having someone to blame is easier than accepting that a team of doctors can’t tell you what’s wrong with their daughter,” Trueblood said.
The defendant didn’t just ask for advice, Baldock said. On at least one occasion she was so frustrated with the situation, that she called her mom for help, he pointed out. She repeatedly reported to Kailynn’s mom that the girl was fussy. Kailynn’s parents were puzzled by her claims and talked of finding a new sitter, wondering if it was just too difficult for a new mom to care for two 4-month-old babies.
Baldock asked the jury to take a hard look at why the defendant was trying to convince them it was so easy to care for two babies and her claims that she never became overwhelmed by the stress of it.
Many new parents find themselves at times feeling ill equipped to give a child what they need, Baldock argued. Thankfully, most step back, take a break, pass the child to a spouse, or just walk away, he said.
“Tragically that’s not what the defendant did and as a result of that mistake Kailynn Watson is dead,” Baldock said.
Trueblood cautioned jurors about jumping to conclusions as law enforcement and some of the doctors who treated and examined Kailynn did.
“When child abuse is your profession you might see it where it doesn’t exist,” she said.
Her client performed CPR on Kailynn for six minutes. She spoke with detectives on multiple occasions, even when she knew they suspected her of hurting Kailynn. Her story has never changed, Trueblood said.
“Cheyanne loved Kailynn and took good care of her,” the defense attorney added.
The jury is expected to continue deliberations Friday.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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