Bianca Jones Murder Trial: Closing arguments begin in Mich. toddler case
(CBS) DETROIT - Closing arguments began Wednesday morning for the Detroit father accused of killing his 2-year-old daughter, Bianca Jones, whose body still remains missing, the Detroit Free Press reports.
D'Andre Lane, 32, is charged with child abuse and first-degree murder in the Dec. 2 disappearance of Bianca and staging a carjacking to cover the crime. Lane has maintained his innocence.
Prosecutors said Lane killed Bianca after a potty-training accident. Lane called Detroit Police in December to report that someone carjacked him and took his silver Mercury Marquis with Bianca in the backseat. Police found Lane's car less than an hour later but the toddler wasn't in it.
Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Cain Goldfarb said during closing arguments that Bianca's disappearance isn't a case of abduction, but a case of murder.
"Carjackers do not leave the car and take the baby," he said. "There was no child abduction. She is dead, the defendant killed her and the evidence proves it beyond a reasonable doubt."
Defense attorney Terry Johnson said the prosecution's story is a stretch.
"I ask you not to take a leap of faith; I ask you to walk through the evidence with me," Johnson said. "What they want to do is they want to ignore all of the evidence that would exonerate Mr. Lane."
Johnson said investigators knew Bianca was still alive prior to the carjacking, and that an armed gunman was reported near the site of the theft. He also pointed out that Bianca's sister and 15-year-old cousin testified that they saw the toddler alive the morning after she was allegedly punished for wetting herself.
"They want you to ignore the obvious," Johnson said. "Treveon said 'She yawned.' Dead kids don't yawn."