Judge to Reveal Verdict in Killing of 4-Year-Old Girl

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WISCASSET, Maine (AP) A Maine judge is set to reveal his verdict in the murder trial of a Wiscasset woman charged in the death of a 4-year-old girl.

The announcement is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in the trial of Shawna Gatto, who’s accused of fatally beating Kendall Chick.

Gatto asked for the emotionally charged testimony to be heard by a judge, not a jury. Witnesses testified the youngster’s body was covered with bruises and one of her eyes was swollen shut when responders discovered her lifeless body in December 2017.

Chick was placed in the care of Gatto and her fiance by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The child welfare agency came under increased scrutiny after the deaths of Chick and a 10-year-old girl in Stockton Springs.

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