Judge declares mistrial in infant starvation case in Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has declared a mistrial and dismissed the indictment of parents facing charges in the starvation death of their baby.

The Daily News Journal reports the judge determined an investigating detective should have obtained the baby’s feeding machine as evidence and that prosecutor Hugh Ammerman permitted the jury to hear prejudicial information.

Sinead Omer, 25, and Terry Craighead, 27, had been facing life in prison after a jury found them guilty of four felony charges. Their 5-month-old daughter Skyler died Nov. 18, 2013. She had heart surgery after being born and was diagnosed with atypical DiGeorge syndrome.

Craighead’s lawyer Brad Hornby says the machine should have been gathered as evidence as its data could have revealed what happened.

Ammerman says he’s not sure the ruling can be appealed.