If you are concerned about a child being neglected or abused, call Maine’s 24-hour hotline at 800-452-1999 or 711 to speak with a child protective specialist. Calls may be made anonymously. For more information, visit https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/cw/reporting_abuse.shtml.
The trial is expected to begin on Tuesday in the case against a Buckfield man accused of killing his infant daughter.
Trevor Averill is accused of killing his 2-month-old daughter, Harper Averill, in July of 2020. He pleaded not guilty to depraved indifference murder and manslaughter.
Authorities were called to a home on North Parish Road in Turner on July 22, 2020, for a report of a child choking.
Prosecutors allege Averill shook Harper, causing a fractured skull, bleeding in the brain, and a spinal injury. An expert also claims to have found signs of previous abuse.
Prosecutors say the 2-month-old was acting normal on July 21, 2020. But when she woke up around midnight, Averill brought her down and changed her. That’s when, Averill says, she started choking and became unresponsive.
The state alleges that Averill was the only one with the baby at the time and what happened to her before her death was “very violent.”
Before she died, a child abuse expert found Harper had a skull fracture, bleeding in her brain and a spinal injury, which all contributed to her death.
The expert claims there were also signs of previous abuse, including healing rib fractures, estimated to have happened just 10 days prior.
His trial started at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Androscoggin County Court.
