A jury in Howard County Circuit Court found a 38-year-old Laurel man guilty Monday of first-degree child abuse, second-degree assault and two counts of neglect for leaving his 2-year-old niece in a bathtub filled with scalding water last October, then leaving her alone again when he went to a pharmacy to buy an analgesic. The little girl suffered second-degree burns over 20 percent to 25 percent of her body, police and prosecutors said.
Michael Oye-Adeniran, of the 9200 block of Traders Crossing, faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced Dec. 21.
Judge Timothy J. McCrone revoked Adeniran's bond after the jury took less than two hours to convict him after a five-day trial. State's Attorney Susan Weinstein said that the photos taken after the little girl was treated at the Laurel Regional Hospital and later at the Children's Medical Center in Washington were so graphic that a "picture is worth a thousand words - or in this case - one guilty."
