A 25-year-old man was convicted late Tuesday of murdering his 9-week-old daughter, who suffered three major fractures of the skull.
Relatives of the convicted man, Mark Anthony Leyba, erupted into “angry shouts and threats aimed at the judge, jury and others in the courtroom” as the verdict was announced, according to Pam Russell, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County district attorney’s office.
The jury was quickly escorted out of the courtroom while deputies responded to the outburst, Russell said.
The jury found Leyba guilty of first-degree murder of a child under the age of 12 by a person in a position of trust. He also was convicted of child abuse resulting in death.
The jury deliberated 10 hours after a two-week trial.
Leyba will be sentenced Dec. 17. He faces up to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Howard Pankratz, The Denver Post
