Father found guilty of manslaughter in 21-month-old daughter's death

Daniel Williams has been found guilty of manslaughter in the 2014 death of his young daughter Kierra Elektra Starr Williams.

Kierra was rushed to hospital on Peguis First Nation in July 2014. She died of blunt force trauma to the abdomen, causing internal bleeding. Court heard the child sustained numerous injuries as a result of prolonged physical abuse at the hands of her mother, Vanessa Bushie.

Evidence presented by the Crown said the toddler was "starving" and "withering" when she was killed.

The Crown argued Williams knew his partner was abusing the child, was witness to at least some of the abuse and failed to protect his daughter from being subjected to "repeated injuries."

In Williams's defence, lawyer Greg Brodsky argued Williams couldn't be responsible for his daughter's death because he didn't directly harm her, and he couldn't have predicted the little girl would be killed. 

The verdict came down in a Winnipeg courtroom Monday night, just a few hours after the jury began deliberating in the late afternoon.

The jury of nine men and three women had to choose one of three possible verdicts: that Williams was not guilty, that he was not guilty of manslaughter but guilty of failure to provide the necessaries of life, or that he was guilty of manslaughter.