DENTON — A Dallas man was convicted Monday of killing his 9-month-old daughter in June and dumping her body in Lewisville Lake.
Jurors in Denton County deliberated for more than five hours in the case of Alandus Weaver, 21, who faces up to life in prison. He will be sentenced in a month.
Weaver’s extended family remained composed in the courtroom until the verdict was read. Several left in tears, shaking their heads and saying, “Their minds were already made up.”
Weaver testified Monday and presented a new story about how his daughter, Daisja Weaver, died.
Weaver admitted that he lied to Dallas detectives on three separate occasions, including when he and Tamaira Creagh, Daisja’s mother, said the baby had been kidnapped.
During the investigation of the baby’s disappearance, Creagh came forward with her attorney and said the baby was dead — not kidnapped. She told police that she and Weaver had thrown the body in the lake.
On Monday, Weaver testified that he lied to police to cover for Creagh, who, he said, killed the baby. He also said they didn’t dump Daisja in the lake as the couple had planned, but that Creagh threw the body in a creek near their Dallas apartment. Daisja’s body was never found.
During closing arguments, the prosecution called Weaver’s testimony and the defense’s other efforts to discredit Creagh a “red herring” to divert the jury’s attention from Weaver.
Creagh faces a charge of tampering with evidence.
A capital murder charge against Weaver was withdrawn, and he was charged with felony murder. That means jurors could have found him guilty of murder under a variety of circumstances — including if they concluded that he was criminally negligent while caring for his child.
WFAA-TV reporter Debbie Denmon in Denton contributed to this report.
