Powers’ trial began June 20 in Judge Jennifer McElfresh’s courtroom. The prosecution is expected to rest Tuesday, according to Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
During the first day of trial, the jury saw body camera footage of a Fairfield police officer doing chest compressions with his thumbs in an attempt to revive Powers’ daughter. The defendant cried and wiped away tears as he saw his lifeless daughter on the floor in a pink sleeper.
Officer Andy McGuffey and paramedics were unsuccessful. The 2-month-old was pronounced dead on May 10, 2022. Butler County Assistant Prosecutor Lindsay Sheehan said Powers recklessly abused the baby, causing her death.
Defense attorney Aricia Underwood said her client, who often cared for his daughter alone, was “careful; he was loving, he did not shake his daughter to death.”
The child was born in March 2022 and the couple’s relationship ended April 3, 2022. Powers continued to care for his daughter alone after the couple separated, according to prosecutors.
“(The defendant) complained that the child was difficult with him and screamed at him,” Sheehan said during opening statements.
The child’s mother, Kylee Johnson, noticed bruising on the child’s chin area, which Powers said happened when he was burping her, according to prosecutors.
The baby’s vomiting was noted by the mother on April 22, 2022, and on May 9, 2022, after a doctor’s appointment with an ultrasound to try to determine the source of the vomiting. Powers had care of the baby.
At about 8 p.m. that night, Powers messaged the mother saying the child had vomited all over him. He later told detectives he had put her down “harder than normal,” according to court documents.
The child never again appeared neurologically normal, had seizures and screamed all night until Powers called 911 about 5 a.m. May 10, 2022, according to prosecutors. The baby was lifeless when emergency crews arrived, according to prosecutors.
Powers told police that his daughter, who weighed almost 10 pounds and was 22 inches long “was an “a****** to him because she screamed at him for no reason,” Sheehan told jurors.
An autopsy revealed Kira suffered a massive head injury that killed her on May 10, 2022, and had additional healing brain injuries.
Underwood told the jury there are thousands of text messages between Powers and Johnson — some indicating Kira would often vomit in the care of both parents.
“This was a tragic accident,” Underwood said during opening statements, noting Powers did not “lawyer up” and wanted to talk to police to find out what happened to his baby.
Medical experts, paramedics, police officers and Johnson have testified during the trial.
During cross examination by Underwood, Johnson said it was true about five other people interacted with Kira during the time period prosecutors say she was abused.
On Friday, jurors saw an interrogation tape of Fairfield detectives interviewing Powers hours after his child had died. Powers told detectives he thought the child’s mother had “pawned” Kira off on him to meet up with another man.
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