Richter found guilty of child endangerment
A jury has found a Mid-Missouri woman guilty of seriously injuring a child at her Cole County home daycare in 2010.
Shelley Richter was charged with first degree child endangerment for the incident that left 7-month old Lane Schaefer blind and with brain damage.
Richter was convicted of child endangerment last year, but was granted a retrial.
Jefferson City prosecutors said Richter shook Schaefer, causing the injuries.
Richter could face up to 7 years in prison.
The jury deliberated for nearly 8 hours.
The jury brought multiple messages to the judge Wednesday night. The jury was brought back into the courtroom for further instruction.
Judge Pat Joyce told the jury to try every possible effort to reach a decision and not be afraid to change their opinions.
On Wednesday, Shelley Richter took the stand to recall what happened.
Richter told the courtroom she fell to the ground and lost hold of 7-month-old Lane Schaefer, and called for trooper and neighbor Dawn Wilde for help.
Wilde also took the stand Wednesday, saying she called 911 and Lane’s mother, Jessica Schaefer.
The defense also called forensic pathologist Dr. John Plunkett for questioning.
He stated that shaking a baby cannot accelerate the brain fast enough to cause brain damage.
The state asked him if he had ever previously testified that shaking a baby can cause brain damage, and he said yes.
Richter said she fell while holding the baby after tripping over another child.
Jurors heard from several doctors Tuesday, including Lane Schaefer’s pediatric critical care doctor, his pediatric neurologist, and his pediatric ophthalmologist who has since died from cancer, but made a video testimony.
Prosecutors questioned Dr. Greg Downs and Dtr. Nitin Patel about Lane’s condition during his nearly month-long stay at University Hospital.
Both doctors agreed that Lane’s injuries were “non-accidental.”
However, the defense did bring up that one doctor said some of the brain injuries looked like they had occurred over a period of time.
Richter said she fell while holding the baby after tripping over another child.
Jurors heard from several doctors Tuesday, including Lane Schaefer’s pediatric critical care doctor, his pediatric neurologist, and his pediatric ophthalmologist, Dr. Joseph Gianiacomo all testified that the injuries Lane suffered were most likely affects from shaken baby syndrome.
Another pediatrician, Dr. Douglas Beal, agreed the head trauma was a result of shaking the infant.
Richter is scheduled to be sentenced on February 18.
