Elijah Shemwell: Teenager Carl Alesbrook found guilty of murdering ex-partner's baby who suffered 'catastrophic' brain injuries
A teenager has been found guilty of killing his partner's four-month-old baby.
Carl Alesbrook, now 19, was accused of murdering Elijah Shemwell at an address in Belper, Derbyshire.
Elijah suffered "catastrophic" brain injuries after being shaken by Alesbrook, who had met his mother seven weeks earlier.
The baby was found in cardiac arrest on 2 January 2022 and died in hospital three days later.
Elijah also had limb and rib fractures, as well as 17 bruises around his chest, back and stomach consistent with grip marks, jurors at Derby Crown Court were told.
Medical evidence presented to the trial suggested Elijah had been shaken on at least three separate occasions, including New Year's Day and the day he was taken to hospital.
Alesbrook denied causing any harm to the child but was convicted of both murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent by a jury on Thursday.
He told the trial he had looked after Elijah alone while the baby's mother, India Shemwell, was working away from her home.
Days before Elijah was rushed to hospital, Alesbrook sent a Snapchat message to Shemwell using derogatory language towards her baby.
He denied in court he was "unduly angered or irritated" by the child.
Shemwell, who was aged 21 at the time but is now 23, has admitted to two counts of child cruelty, including the fact that she did not dial emergency services more quickly after Elijah became unwell.
The day before Elijah went into hospital, she had sent a video of him unresponsive with a floppy arm to friends on Facebook and had asked for their advice on his condition.
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CCTV shown to Alesbrook's trial showed Shemwell visiting a shop on the night of the fatal assault.
Jurors were told the mother also filmed video of Elijah struggling to breathe before she dialled 999 at 10.33pm on 2 January.
During her ex-partner's trial, Shemwell was described as a "thoroughly inadequate mother" who both generally and specifically neglected Elijah and failed to seek prompt medical attention for him on both 1 and 2 January.
However she was not accused of causing any of the injuries to Elijah.
Prosecutor Vanessa Marshall KC told the jury trying Alesbrook: "The prosecution is confident that a careful review of the evidence in this case puts this defendant alone with Elijah moments before the critical incidents... so as to make it inexplicable on the basis of coincidence that it was not this defendant who was responsible for causing Elijah's injuries and death."
Alesbrook and Shemwell will be sentenced on a date to be fixed for their parts in Elijah's death and neglect.
Adjourning the case, High Court Judge Mr Justice Jeremy Baker excused the members of the jury from jury service for the next 10 years.
He told Alesbrook, who faces a mandatory life term: "There is only one sentence that can be imposed but part of that sentence will be a determination of the minimum term that you will have to serve."
