Tharp v. Commonwealth

COOPER, Justice.

On January 11, 1997, Elaina Curtis, age ten months, died from a ruptured spleen which allegedly resulted from physical abuse inflicted by her stepfather, Kenneth Tharp. Medical examinations of the child’s body also revealed severe bruises of the legs, abdomen, chest, forehead, left eye, scalp and the back of the head. Some of the bruises were estimated to be seven days old or older. There were also fractures of the left ulnar and of another bone just above the ankle joint, the latter estimated to be seven to eight days old and the former estimated to be a month old. A…