By Joe Anuta
The Flushing father of two-month old Annie Li was found guilty of manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child Friday, but he was acquitted on murder charges by a jury in State Supreme Court, the Queens district attorney said.
Hang Bin Li, 28, was arrested in 2007 and charged with violently shaking his infant daughter and fracturing her skull, injuries that led to her death.
“The defendant stands convicted of causing the death of his 10-week-old daughter by violently shaking her and slamming her head into an object,” said Queens DA Richard Brown. “It is shocking to consider that a father could inflict such brutality and suffering on one as young and innocent as his daughter. His horrific actions robbed her of her life and the countless potential it held.”
The case had been closely followed in the Flushing community, and a group led by Michael Chu had raised funds for legal fees and remained a constant presence in the Queens courtroom throughout the four-week trial.
“It certainly is disappointing,” Chu said after the trial.
Chu and Li’s lawyer, Cedric Ashley, contended that Annie suffered from osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, which caused the baby to suffer massive head trauma when Li bumped her head on a bedside table after Annie appeared ill Oct. 22, 2007.
The prosecution, on the other hand, said that Annie merely carried a predisposition of the disease and had no physical symptoms that would have led a bump on the head to cause such severe trauma.
Li spent five years behind bars awaiting the trial, which will count toward his sentence when it is imposed March 4. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
