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By CASEY KNAUPP
Staff Writer

A Smith County juror became ill Wednesday during medical testimony in a “shaken baby” case, where a 9-month-old girl suffered severe brain injuries.

Delbert Kincade, 22, is on trial for injury to a child for allegedly causing serious bodily injury or mental deficiency to Salayah Becks by shaking her, striking her or causing her to strike an unknown object. He could face up to life in prison if convicted.

Kincade has also been charged for severely injuring Saydren Becks in the same manner. The twins were 9 months old at the time of the alleged incidents in September.

Salayah Becks was taken to the East Texas Medical Center clinic in Tyler on Sept. 14 after Saysha Becks found her daughter stiff and having seizures.

Dr. Dan Baber testified that he was called to ETMC’s main hospital and informed the baby was being transferred there from the clinic. He said she was not responsive and was having trouble breathing. He knew the infant needed to be sent to the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas but she needed to be stabilized first, he said.

Because of the old and new bruises he found on Salayah’s body, he said he suspected child abuse and at first thought the child probably wouldn’t survive. A CAT scan showed she suffered subdural hematoma, or bleeding in the brain, from her brain moving inside her skull. She said the mother’s story about the baby falling against a chair did not match Salayah’s injuries.

Sharon Wood, a respiratory therapist at ETMC who manages the equipment and patients when they need help breathing, said Salayah had to be intubated with a breathing tube.

As Ms. Wood testified about the infant on the ventilator, a female jury became ill and the jury was recessed from the courtroom.

Judge Jack Skeen Jr., of the 241st District Court, informed the jury about an hour later that as a precautionary measure, the woman was taken to the hospital to meet her doctor. He said the physician would let him know when the woman would be able to return for jury duty and the trial would then resume with evidence.

Wednesday afternoon, the court announced that the trial would resume Thursday morning.

Ms. Becks testified Tuesday that she believed Kincade, who lived with her, was the father of her twins but later discovered through a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation that Kincade was not the father.

Kincade was unemployed and offered to look after the babies while she went to college during the day and worked at a strip club at night.

On Sept. 14, Salayah began crying and Kincade picked her up, spanked her on her right thigh and threw her onto the couch, Ms. Becks said. The infant bounced off the couch and fell onto the floor, hitting her head. She said she immediately began having a seizure. As she ran over to her daughter, Kincade kicked Ms. Becks and told her she was spoiling the child, not to pick her up and to let her have her temper tantrum. But, she said, the baby wasn’t crying, her eyes were fixed to one side and her body was stiff. Ms. Becks realized something was seriously wrong so she talked Kincade into driving her to the clinic. On the way, Kincade told her not to tell anyone what happened and said if she did, she’d be attending her own funeral, she testified.

Salayah was immediately transferred from the clinic to ETMC’s main hospital in Tyler, then to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.

Witnesses have testified the baby had bruises all over her body, including what appeared to be a handprint on her right thigh.

Ms. Becks admitted telling doctors, nurses and police several different stories about how her daughter sustained her injuries by accident before finally telling them the truth that Kincade had caused them. She said she made the decision after learning that her son was also seriously injured.

The twins, now 17 months old, have been removed from her custody by CPS.

Ms. Becks and Kincade had violent fights and she received bruises around her neck from him choking her, as well as black eyes, she said.

Detective Paul Robeson said Salayah showed symptoms that are exclusive to “shaken baby syndrome,” when a child’s brain shakes inside its skull because of abusive head trauma. The symptoms include seizures and eye and brain injuries.

Scott Rosekrans is representing Kincade, while assistant Smith County district attorneys Joe Murphy and Zach Davis are prosecuting the case.