Jury finds Decatur man guilty of murdering girlfriend's 19-month-old son

A DeKalb County jury has found a Decatur man guilty of the murder of his girlfriend's toddler.

On Thursday, a jury found 28-year-old Kentavious Hardnett guilty of felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children for the 19-month-old boy's death.

According to prosecutors, Hardnett had been in a relationship with the victim's mother for two months when she left the toddler in his care on Jan. 21, 2021, to go to work.

At around 7 p.m. that day, authorities say Hardnett took the now-unresponsive boy to a neighbor for help. The neighbor called 911 and then drove Hardnett and the toddler to Emory Decatur Hospital's emergency. By the time they got to the hospital, officials say the boy was suffering from cardiac arrest and respiratory failure.

The victim was then transported to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where officials say a CT scan revealed countless retinal hemorrhages in both his eyes and blood pools in his brain.

The boy never regained consciousness. He was declared brain dead, and life support was removed three days later.

Hardnett told investigators that the toddler had fallen off his bed, but authorities say the victim had injuries that were inconsistent with "abusive head trauma."

"The Child Abuse Pediatrician, medical examiner, and pediatric neuroradiologist all concluded that the victim's injuries were inflicted, and not consistent with a fall from a bed," the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for the next few weeks.