Mpls man sentenced to 25 years in prison for beating infant daughter to death
Cory Morris, 21, was convicted Thursday for murdering his five-month-old daughter.
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - A 22-year-old Minneapolis man convicted for beating his infant daughter to death will be serving more than 25 years in prison.
Cory Morris received a sentence of 306-months, or 25 and a half years, from Hennepin County District Court Judge Kerry Meyer on Friday.
Meyer ruled Morris knew he was fatally harming his daughter and that he knew it was wrong.
Prosecutors had fought for Morris to receive the maximum sentence of 40 years. The defense had argued Morris was suffering from mental illness.
RELATED: Murder charges: Minneapolis dad punched baby girl 22 times
According to the criminal complaint, Morris killed his daughter at a home in the Prospect Park neighborhood of Minneapolis.
He was watching his four-month-old daughter alone when she started making baby talk. When she didn't quiet, he punched her 22 times. She died from blunt force trauma, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner.