Jury picked in infant-death case

Jury selection ended late this afternoon in the trial of a man charged with murdering his 5-month old daughter last fall at Edgewood Homes in east Lawrence.Jay D. Decker, 27, Lawrence, is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 14, 2005 death of Risha Lafferty. Prosecutors alleged he repeatedly abused the girl in the days leading up to her death. Opening statements will begin tomorrow morning. The trial is expect to last one week. A coroner testified at Decker’s preliminary hearing that the baby had a fractured skull, bruises under her scalp, and signs of being shaken. The key witness in the case is Risha’s mother, Brandi M. Hendrickson, who testified that the baby showed up with repeated injuries after she began leaving Decker as the baby sitter during the day while she worked. Defense attorneys challenged her credibility during the preliminary hearing. Defense attorney Mark Manna said during jury selection that the trial is likely to include conflicting opinions from medical experts. Manna and Thomas Bartee are the defense attorneys; Assistant Dist. Attys. Amy McGowan and Brandon Jones are prosecuting.-Contributed by Eric Weslander.