Jury coming close to verdict in Gustine father accused of son’s death

The Gustine father accused of killing his infant son by slamming his head on the floor may find out his fate from a Merced County jury on Thursday.

Andrew Sanchez said his son, 9-month-old Maddix Ramsour, rolled off a 2-foot-tall bed and suffered the injuries, according to testimony. His public defender, attorney Stephanie Jamieson, said the jury may wrap up deliberations on Thursday for the trial that’s been ongoing for three weeks.

Sanchez has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and child cruelty in July 2015, days after he was arrested by Merced County Sheriff’s Office detectives. He is accused of killing the boy on March 5, 2015, at a home in the 30000 block of Cottonwood Road in Gustine.

The baby died at Valley Children’s Hospital after undergoing brain surgery, according to testimony.

The prosecution argued Sanchez, who they said never wanted to be a father, reacted out of anger or frustration and slammed the baby. Expert witnesses for the prosecution said brain bleeding, vein tears and other injuries were too great to have come from a fall.

The father had expressed frustration in text messages to Rebecca Ramsour, Maddix’s mother, which were read allowed in court. “I swear, he’s a bitch at least once a day,” one text said.

The child’s babysitter said he could be fussy and cry if he was not being held.

The defense called its own experts, who said the baby could have died from untreated injuries from previous falls. Maddix had fallen on three other occasions but appeared fine, the baby’s mother said during testimony.

The defense also argued that his text message was part of his was of coping with frustration.

Jury deliberations, which began on Friday, resume Thursday.

This story was originally published April 19, 2017 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Jury coming close to verdict in Gustine father accused of son’s death."