Brandon v. State

MAXWELL, J.,

for the Court:

¶ 1. Christopher Brandon challenges his conviction for the depraved-heart murder of a one-year-old boy. The young child, Xavier Staples, was in the sole care of Brandon when he was fatally injured. He died after the blood vessels between his brain and skull and behind his eyes were violently broken. While Brandon claimed Xavier had fallen off the bed and hit his head on a plastic toy, Xavier’s two treating physicians and the pathologist who performed the autopsy testified that Xavier’s injuries were too severe to have been caused by a short fall. They believed the…