A Limestone County jury sentenced a man to life in prison for a January 2013 assault that left a 5-week-old infant with brain damage.
The jury sentenced Ben McAlpine to life Friday night after less than an hour of deliberating his punishment. He will be eligible for parole in 30 years.
A doctor from Children's Medical Center testified that the infant had broken ribs, a fractured skull, a broken arm and leg, a whiplash injury, and significant brain trauma after being left in McAlpine's care while the infant's mother took an older child to school.
The infant's mother also testified she didn't know he had been injured until he began having seizures. The infant was taken to Navarro Regional Hospital, and then transported by helicopter to Children's Medical Center in Dallas.
A Mexia PD investigator began investigating and McAlpine was interviewed as part of the investigation.
