Editor’s note: This story contains graphic testimony and descriptions of injuries to an infant that some readers may find disturbing.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A forensic pathologist testified Tuesday that 12-week-old Riley Leshae Hannah Stephenson died from a combination of abuse, malnutrition and pneumonia, in the first-degree murder trial of her father.
Nickolas Shane Stephenson, 37, faces first-degree murder and intentional child abuse charges in the June 2022 death of his daughter. The baby’s mother, 32-year-old Diandra Haleigh Fuhr-Farlow, has pleaded guilty to intentional child abuse causing serious bodily injury.
Forensic expert testifies
Prosecutors called Dr. William Thomas Harrison, a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist, to the stand Monday. He returned Tuesday to complete direct examination and face defense questioning…