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Trial for Jacksonville woman charged in 14-year-old daughter's death starts Tuesday

Amanda Guthrie is facing aggravated manslaughter and child abuse charges in the death of her daughter Ayva. A review by a forensic expert said it was accidental.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The video attached to this story is from a previous, unrelated report.

Note: After this story was published, this case was rescheduled to begin Monday, January 30.  

A Jacksonville mother facing manslaughter and child abuse charges is the death of her 14-year-old daughter is going to trial Tuesday.

Jury selection is expected to begin early Tuesday morning.

Amanda Guthrie was arrested in 2021 after her daughter died of gunshot wounds.

A review by a forensic expert, ordered by Amanda Guthrie's attorney, said the deadly shooting was accidental. 

However, a motion to drop the charges against Guthrie was denied.

On the day of the shooting, the teen was playing with the 9mm handgun, which was on top of furniture in Amanda Guthrie's bedroom, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Guthrie asked for the gun back, but when the girl handed the gun to her mother, it discharged. The bullet entered Ayva's head, and she later died at the hospital, police said. 

Forensic analyst Michael Cox examined both the bullet and the bedroom where the shooting happened. 

He wrote in his report that the bullet deflected off the floor before striking the teen. The report read: 

"The upward angle of the bullet trajectory, the hard, textured-surface damage to the bullet, and the absence of evidence of close-range firing combine to indicate that the firearm was not directly aimed at [redacted] but was, rather, pointed at the ceramic tile on concrete floor, resulting in a bullet deflection prior to wounding [redacted]."

    

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