The trial of Melissa Wilband, a mother accused of fatally shaking her baby girl, has reached a critical point as the jury has retired to consider the verdict. The 28-year-old denies the manslaughter of her four-month-old daughter, Lexi Wilband, who collapsed at their home in Newent, Gloucestershire, in April 2020.
Prosecutors claim that tests revealed bleeding on Lexi’s brain, indicating she had been violently shaken, leading to her collapse and subsequent death at Bristol Children’s Hospital on April 18. Wilband’s then partner, Jack Wheeler, also faces charges related to the incident.
During the trial, jurors heard that Wilband had misinformed Wheeler about Lexi’s biological father and presented a fake DNA certificate claiming him to be the father. Despite finding out the truth after Lexi’s birth, Wheeler continued to treat her as his own child.
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In an alarming turn of events, Wilband made a distress call when Lexi stopped breathing, and despite being asked, she declined to hold her baby before medical procedures. Further suspicions arose when it was discovered that Wheeler had allegedly been swinging Lexi in her bouncer chair prior to her collapse.
The prosecution emphasized the severity of Lexi’s condition, including extensive bleeding in her eyes, and alleged that the cause of death was non-accidental, resulting from violent shaking. Wilband denied the allegations, citing physical limitations, and Wheeler denied any involvement in the incident.
The jury is now deliberating its verdict, crucial in determining the fate of the accused.