FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A courtroom heard a critical clue on day three of a murder trial of a South Florida toddler.
Investigators said the child’s life was taken by his stepmother.
Jurors were presented with a new video on Monday of her being questioned by police as they are set to decide her fate.
Hours after the little boy’s body was found inside of Analiz Osceola’s home, she sat with police and gave her statement saying she did nothing wrong.
“I’m telling you right now, it’s much easier and better for you if you tell me now,” said Hollywood Police Detective Sean Keough.
Her stepson Ahziya Osceola was found dead in his Hollywood home, back in March of 2018.
“Now, this time, I feel like we’re almost there,” said Keough.
She first reported the boy missing, which launched a massive search. Hours later, the boy’s body was found in the laundry room inside a garbage bag in a box.
“Did you do anything that might have caused him to die? Did you push on his stomach too hard?” asked Keough.
In court, Analiz sat with her body turned from the camera and the jury. She hardly watched the recordings, as she told police the night the boy died she was only trying to help him.
Doctors determined the boy died from blunt abdominal trauma.
“Did you grab him by the throat, is there anything you did?” said Keough.
Jurors also watched the moment Ahziya’s father learned the little boy was dead.
“She won’t be charged tonight. We’ll do an autopsy, and the doctor will determine a cause of death,” said Keough.
Analiz was arrested and charged with manslaughter when the autopsy showed the boy had been badly beaten.
Jurors will continue to watch footage Tuesday, if convicted, she could face up to 31 years in prison.
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