Prosecutors seek death penalty after infant fatally abused
Wake County prosecutors announced today that they plan to seek the death penalty against a man accused of sexually assaulting and killing his 10-month-old stepdaughter.
Joshua Andrew Stepp, of 1223 Silver Sage Drive, Apt. 303, faces first-degree murder and first-degree sex offense charges in the Nov. 8 death of Cheyenne Emery Yarley.
Stepp told a dispatcher in a 911 call that the child choked on toilet paper, but, according to a medical examiner's report, she died from "abusive head trauma."
The report also said injuries were found in the child's ear, vagina and anus.
In a status hearing this morning, prosecutors told Judge Ronald Stephens that investigators believed the infant had been on the floor with her head pushed into the carpet.
(source: News & Observer)
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