Mt. Lebanon man found guilty of third-degree murder in infant daughter’s death
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A 31-year-old Mt. Lebanon man was found guilty of third-degree murder Tuesday in the November 2017 death of his four-month-old daughter.
Joseph Gazzam, 31, had entered guilty pleas in April to charges including reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, along with a general plea to one count of criminal homicide.
Last week, Allegheny County Judge Randal B. Todd held a degree-of-guilt hearing. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s office announced Tuesday that the judge had found Gazzam guilty of third-degree murder, meaning the killing was not intentional and didn’t happen during the course of committing a felony.
Gazzam initially told police the baby fell out of bed while the two were napping but investigators found the injuries the baby suffered weren’t consistent with that story. Gazzam ultimately admitted that he became angry at his daughter because she was fussing and he punched her with a closed fist, resulting in the injuries that led to her death, according to Allegheny County police.
Gazzam will be sentenced on July 18.