PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld a Sioux Falls man's conviction for manslaughter in the killing of his girlfriend's toddler.
A jury last year convicted Christopher Fisher of first-degree manslaughter for the death of 16-month-old Preston Vensand on Thanksgiving Day 2008. Fisher is serving a 60-year prison sentence.
Prosecutors said Fisher shook the boy when the child wouldn't stop crying and autopsy results showed the boy died of head injuries consistent with being shaken.
Fisher argued that his conviction should be overturned because police badgered a confession out of him.
The Supreme Court said the trial judge was correct to let the jury hear Fisher's confession to a police officer.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
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