The defense attorney for a New Jersey man accused of throwing his daughter into a creek while still strapped into a car seat did not deny his clients actions and asked the jury instead if he is guilty of thinking clearly that night, the AP reported.
Arthur Morgan III, of Eatontown, allegedly used a tire-changing jack to weigh down the car seat his daughter, Tierra Morgan-Glover, was in after he placed her in a creek.
On Nov. 22, 2011, Tierra's body was discovered partially submerged, and Morgan was subsequently charged with murder.
Jack Moriarty, Morgan's attorney, told the jury in his opening statement that is he not asking them to decide if his client is responsible for Tierra's death. Instead, they should judge whether he acted clearly or recklessly, due to homelessness and other stressful factors that may have impacted his actions.
However, Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Jordan Williams argued much differently, suggesting Morgan was mindful of every action he made.
"This defendant took his beautiful little daughter, strapped her in a car seat, locked her down, attached that heavy, metal carjack to it and dumped her in the dirty stream, and then made his way to California," Williams told the jury.
On Nov. 29, U.S. Marshals apprehended Morgan in San Diego, one week after he allegedly killed his daughter. According to prosecutors, Morgan stopped at a liquor store and then had a friend drive him to the Asbury Park train station, where he began his journey across the country.
In addition to murder charges, Morgan is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and interfering with her custody. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole.
