Before sending a convicted toddler killer to death row, a Mississippi judge asked that God have "mercy" on his soul.
Joseph David Heard, 41, was found guilty of first-degree murder for the fatal beating of his 2-year-old stepson, Hayden Lee Bataille, according to the Sun Herald, WXXV-TV, and WLOX-TV.
Heard's 24-year-old wife, Hailey Lynn Bataille Heard, who was already convicted of first-degree murder for her son's death and sentenced to life in prison, testified against her husband.
"God have mercy on your soul," Judge Larry Bourgeois told Heard, after revealing his fate Friday.
"The brutal and heinous killing of Hayden called for the maximum punishment under Mississippi law," Harrison County District Attorney Crosby Parker said, according to the Herald. "We commend the Harrison County jury for agreeing with us."
Parker said Hayden was beaten to death for "doing what 2-year-olds do."
The little boy was punched in the head and stomach repeatedly at the family's Biloxi, Mississippi, apartment in December 2021 because he defecated in his diaper and took too long to retrieve a juice box, the DA said.
Hailey joined in the abuse and suffocated Hayden by covering his mouth with her hand.
He became unresponsive and the parents called 911. Heard told responding officers Hayden liked to play rough when they questioned the boy's bruises.
Doctors determined Hayden also suffered from swelling in his head and several broken bones when he died.
Emergency room physician Dr. Leanne Lee testified it "was one of the most horrific scenes I've witnessed... I had never seen a kid that had sustained so much trauma."
It's unclear when Heard will be put to death.
