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MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A man who was accused of murdering his girlfriend’s toddler during a potty training incident in August 2018 has been found not guilty.
34-year-old Willie Burton was charged with the capital murder of 2-year-old Kye Freeman. Prosecutors argued Burton beat the toddler when he would not sit on a toilet for potty training.
Burton’s defense attorney Jeff Deen said in 2019 that Burton spanked Kye at a home on Elmo Avenue but not enough to seriously harm him.
The jury agreed with the defense’s argument and acquitted Burton in court on Friday, Dec. 10.
Freeman’s autopsy showed brain hemorrhaging, a lacerated kidney, and his stomach separated from his small intestines.
