A Hamilton Parish father could face life in prison for killing his two-year-old son.

A Supreme Court jury yesterday took only an hour to convict Paul Darrell of the manslaughter of D'Shun Dill on December 14, 1994. The trial came after a Coroner's Inquest last February.

Upon hearing the 11-to-one majority decision, Darrell -- dressed in a dark suit -- lowered and shook his head.

Acting Senior Crown counsel Khamisi Tokunbo revealed after the court proceedings that the maximum prison sentence Darrell could receive was life in prison.

But Mr. Tokunbo would not comment on the prison term the Crown will seek.

However, he said he hoped that the verdict would send a message to the public regarding child abuse.

"I think justice was done,'' Mr. Tokunbo said. "I hope the jury's verdict sends a message.'' During closing arguments Mr. Tokunbo suggested to the jury that loving parents were capable of abusing their children.

"The Crown is not saying that he intended to kill his child,'' he said. "You can love your child and go beyond the threshold of punishment.'' The Crown had to prove that Darrell applied some unlawful force on D'shun, other than reasonable punishment.

But Darrell's lawyer Mark Pettingill tried to cast a reasonable doubt in the jury's minds by creating suspicion about Darrell's wife Ronda.

Mr. Pettingill said Mrs. Darrell -- who admitted being jealous of D'shun's mother -- lived in the apartment with D'shun and his father during the time the injuries were inflicted.

"Who had a motive, animosity against that child?'' he asked. "What evidence was ever shown that that man (Darrell) had any animosity against his son?'' After the guilty verdict, Mr. Pettingill requested a social inquiry and psychological report be conducted on Darrell before his sentencing.

Before ordering the reports, Puisne Judge Richard Ground warned Darrell not to hold out hope that he would not be facing a custodial sentence.

"You will be facing incarceration,'' Mr. Justice Ground said. "I don't want him to have a false hope that he won't be incarcerated.'' He remanded Darrell in custody and adjourned the matter until March 3.

The seven-men, five-woman jury had heard during the two-week trial that the injuries D'shun Dill sustained were the worst case of child abuse an American pathologist had seen in nearly 20 years.

Florida pathologist Dr. Valerie Rao told the court that D'shun died from blood loss and shock resulting from injuries caused by a blunt instrument.

And she said "with a high degree of certainty'' the injuries occurred the same day of D'shun's death.

The jury also heard that a series of external injuries were discovered on the little boy's back, and there were scars to his buttocks plus bruising to his forehead, abdomen, ears, cheeks, groin and neck.

And the court also heard that D'shun was alone with his father the day that he died.

Darrell had claimed that D'shun slipped and fell while the pair were looking at some boats at Burchall's Cove, in Hamilton Parish.

Paul Darrell