'Babysitting Boyfriend' Convicted of Child Abuse, Not Murder, in Death of Toddler

There is finally an end to the case of the death of 1-year-old Ahmed Jalloh, who died while being watched by his mother's boyfriend on Aug. 1, 2015.

Osman Sesay of Riverdale was convicted by a Prince George's County court of child abuse resulting in the assault and death of a child, and faces up to 65 years in prison, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

Opposite sides of the court case had been fighting to determine whether 29-year-old Sesay was guilty of murder, child abuse, or merely neglect after his girlfriend Isatu Jalloh's toddler son died from a torn liver and damaged brain due to blunt-force trauma while she was away at work.

Authorities said Sesay was hung over from a night of drinking and smoking when his girlfriend, Ahmed's mother, left the baby in his care and went to work. They allege Sesay became angry and frustrated with the baby when he was playing too loudly with a toy, and beat the baby to try and quiet him. Prosecutors pushed for a verdict of second-degree murder.

Sesay's attorney said the real story was that Sesay accidentally fell asleep while watching the baby and woke up to a loud "thud" as the baby fell off a bed and hit his head. He said Sesay ran over to the baby to check if he was OK and found him "barely breathing with his eyes rolling back into his head." His attorney alleged that Sesay began trying to administer CPR, and the baby was accidentally injured from chest compressions.

Ahmed died shortly before his second birthday, and would be turning 3 soon if he was alive today.

Image of Osman Sesay courtesy of Prince George's County police.