Harmon v. State

Jeffrey Harmon lived with Betty Talley and her 27-month-old son, Courtney Reese. On the afternoon of July 1, 1988, Talley left Courtney in Harmon’s care for a brief interval. She testified that upon her return she noticed that Courtney had been crying, and ap peared to be unhappy. Later that evening, Courtney was taken to the hospital because he was breathing abnormally, and blood had been found on his body and clothing. The examining physician found a two-inch tear in the child’s rectum and colon, which had caused his abdominal cavity to fill with fecal matter, and resulted in peritonitis,…