Dad Acquitted of Murder in Month-Old Baby's Death

Dad Acquitted of Murder in Month-Old Baby's Death

A Lombard father who at first blamed a family dog for fatally injuring his month-old adopted daughter was acquitted late Tuesday of first-degree murder charges in the infant's death. But Bruce Keintz, 34, was convicted of a lesser, misdemeanor charge -- reckless conduct -- which carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail. Had Keintz been convicted of murder, he would have faced a minimum of 20 years in prison. A DuPage County jury deliberated more than seven hours Tuesday before rejecting prosecutors' claims that a frustrated Keintz killed his 5-pound 13-ounce daughter on Feb. 17, 2001, by violently shaking her when she wouldn't stop crying. Keintz and his wife had just brought home the adopted baby less than two weeks earlier. During Keintz's trial, two doctors called by prosecutors testified that the massive brain injuries Alexis suffered, along with hemorrhages she sustained in her eyes, indicated the infant had been forcefully shaken.