SARASOTA, Fla. – A grand jury indicted a Florida man on a first-degree murder charge in the death of his 7-week-old son.
The indictment came Tuesday, some four and a half months after the body of Chance Walsh was found in a shallow grave near Sarasota.
Authorities say Joseph Walsh beat and choked the baby on Sept. 16. The child's mother, Kristin Bury, has pleaded no contest to aggravated manslaughter in the boy's death and will testify against Walsh. She led authorities to the child's body on Oct. 15 after the couple was arrested in South Carolina.
The Herald-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1QrKxUr ) reports prosecutors aren't seeking the death penalty because the case doesn't meet the statutory criteria. If convicted, Walsh faces a mandatory life sentence.
___
Information from: Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, http://www.heraldtribune.com
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
