JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man was found guilty on all charges by a jury inside Duval County court Thursday afternoon for abusing and killing a 5-year-old girl in 2018.
Jonte Harris, 31, was found guilty on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse for the death of Zykerria Robinson.
The jury left the courtroom to deliberate at 12:48 p.m. Thursday.
Prosecutors said Harris "tortured" and ultimately killed Zykerria in 2018 in their Westside home after months of abuse. Harris was in a relationship with Zykerria’s mother, Michelle Cannimore, who pleaded guilty in 2019 to aggravated manslaughter of a child and testified on the first day of Harris's murder trial.
Medical examiners say Zykerria died from head trauma. In 2018, they found adult bite marks on her body along with other injuries including black eyes and bruising, signifiers of long-term abuse.
Prosecutors said 911 was not called for hours after Zykerria was struck. They say she had a broken clavicle and showed photos to the jury of her injuries, including one of her face while she was in a coma.
Defense attorneys argued that Cannimore is the one who killed Zykerria and that there was no direct evidence linking Harris to Zykerria's death. They claimed Google searches related to her injuries were done in an effort to protect Zykerria, not hide her injuries, and that abuse had been going on before Harris moved in with Cannimore.
Prosecutors said when the "fatal blows" took place, Harris was home alone with Zykerria. Text messages between Harris and Cannimore were read in court and prosecutors said Harris' words show a motive and convict him. They said in some of the texts, Harris refers to Zykerria as the "devil" and tells Cannimore to keep Zykerria in an empty room and not feed her.
The jurors were all women except for one man. Harris appeared solemn throughout the trial, which began Tuesday after jury selection Monday. Harris' immediate family members attended the trial.
On Tuesday, witnesses had to pause several times when describing Zykerria's injuries. The doctor who treated her and took her off life support and one of the responding Jacksonville Sheriff’s officers had to take a moment to collect themselves during their testimonies when they got emotional. The judge ordered a brief recess during Cannimore's testimony when she broke down crying on the stand.
The judge will announce Harris' sentencing date on March 11.
