Foster Parents Who Beat 2-Year-Old to Death Cry as They Are Found Guilty of Murder
On Thursday, a Georgia jury convicted a 30-year-old woman and her 29-year-old husband of murdering their 2-year-old foster daughter in 2015, according to multiple reports.
Jennifer and Joseph Rosenbaum were both facing 49 counts stemming from the death of Laila Daniel.
Jennifer Rosenbaum, a former military police officer and onetime law student at prestigious Emory University, was found not guilty of malice murder, but guilty of felony murder and several other charges, including aggravated assault and cruelty to children, reports WSB-TV.
Related Video: Utah Couple Allegedly Kept Foster Children Locked in Squalid Room
Her husband, Joseph Rosenbaum, was also found guilty of numerous counts, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children.
All told, they were found guilty on roughly 36 of the 49 charges initially filed against them, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
After their convictions, the ex-foster parents were sentenced: Jennifer, to life in prison plus 40 years in prison, and Joseph, to 50 year in prison, with 30 to serve and 10 years probation.
According to FOX 5, the couple wept as the verdict was delivered.
Laila died on Jennifer’s 37th birthday.
It was determined a blow to the stomach killed the child.
According to the arrest affidavit against the couple, Laila was starved and beaten for months leading up to her death. The affidavit states that Jennifer Rosenbaum struck Laila in the abdomen “with such force that [Laila’s] pancreas was transected. The child was believed to enter shock due to blood loss resulting from the injury.”
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
The affidavit also said that Laila had severe bruising throughout her body and that she was malnourished.
The defense countered that the Rosenbaums were trying to save Laila after she choked on a chicken nugget.
The couple’s lawyers could not be reached for comment.
A prosecution spokesperson was also unavailable to speak about the case.
