ASHEVILLE, N.C. (82newsNOW) — Opening statements were delivered Wednesday in the trial of Nickolas Shane Stephenson, 37, who is charged with first-degree murder and intentional child abuse causing serious bodily injury in the June 28, 2022, death of his 12-week-old daughter, Riley Leshae Hannah Stephenson.
Assistant District Attorneys Stormy Ellis and Amy Buchanan told jurors the infant was found unresponsive in her bassinet and an autopsy later identified a string of injuries, including broken bones in various stages of healing, burns and severe malnutrition. Prosecutors said Riley weighed about 7 pounds, 10 ounces at birth on April 4, 2022, and 6 pounds, 4 ounces at the time of her death. They said the cause of death included blunt-force trauma, thermal burns, malnutrition and pneumonia.
Buchanan told jurors they would hear evidence from numerous first responders, medical personnel and law-enforcement officers who described Riley as emaciated, covered in bruises and cold to the touch.
Buchanan said video and photographs taken in the weeks before Riley’s death show progressive bruising and weight loss; she also said a video dated June 23 showed the infant struggling to breathe.
The child’s mother, Diandra Haleigh Fuhr-Farlow, 32, who also faces a first-degree murder charge, is expected to testify for the prosecution under a plea agreement, prosecutors said.
Court-appointed defense attorney Dustin Randolph Dow urged jurors to separate emotion from evidence, calling the case a tragedy but arguing the state must prove every element of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Dow said much of the prosecution’s case rests on the mother’s testimony and suggested Riley may have had medical problems from birth that could explain some of her symptoms. He told jurors to scrutinize her credibility, noting her plea deal requires her to testify against his client.
Prosecutors said medical examiners identified numerous fractures, some described as “twist” fractures, and the breaks occurred at different times.
Stephenson’s attorney told jurors they will challenge those findings and argue the evidence does not establish criminal culpability beyond a reasonable doubt.
PRIOR COVERAGE: Infant’s death at center of Buncombe County murder trial
