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Hillsborough jury deciding fate of woman accused in brutal death of 3-year-old boy

 
Kara O'Connell is accused of brutally abusing 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley along with her then-boyfriend, Justin Garwacki, who is also the child's father. [SKIP O'ROURKE | Times]
Kara O'Connell is accused of brutally abusing 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley along with her then-boyfriend, Justin Garwacki, who is also the child's father. [SKIP O'ROURKE | Times]
Published Feb. 11, 2016

TAMPA — A jury will reconvene today in the case of a woman on trial for the death of her boyfriend's son.

The trial of Kara O'Connell, 26, on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse started last week. The case went to the jury around noon Wednesday. The jurors did not reach a verdict by the end of the day and were sent home by the judge.

O'Connell is accused of brutally abusing 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley along with her then-boyfriend, Justin Garwacki, who is also the child's father. When Hillsborough sheriff's deputies found the boy in 2010, they said he had stopped breathing and had a broken arm, a wound on his forehead and several bruises.

Garwacki faced similar charges, but agreed to testify against O'Connell in exchange for a plea deal. He pled guilty to second-degree murder with the agreement that he would not spend more 40 years in prison. Prosecutors said they would recommend a sentence of 30 years if he testified.

If convicted of first-degree murder, O'Connell faces a sentence of life in prison.