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Trial underway for stepmom charged in 4-year-old's death

JACKSONVILLE,  Fla. -- The trial is underway for a woman accused of murder in the death of her 4-year-old stepdaughter.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The trial is underway for a woman accused of murder in the death of her 4-year-old stepdaughter.

Shavonn Chanyell Norfleet, 34, faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse in connection to the death of Jada Norfleet last year.

The 4-year-old died of her injuries at Wolfson Children's Hospital on Jan. 30, 2015.

Investigators started looking into the Norfleets after paramedics sent to the family's home notified police that the girl had injuries "possibly caused by child abuse," according to police reports.

Police concluded Shavonn and the child's father, 32-year-old John Ross Norfleet, had repeatedly beaten the child over the course of several months -- at times even using a piece of lumber.

Thursday, prosecutors said Shavonn told police she and her husband John "chastised" Jada, who only weighed 25 lbs., for being defiant and not eating her food.

During the trial, the state showed a photo taken by a detective of the food thrown in the trash by the 4-year-old the night she died.

According to the state, it's that act of throwing her food away that led to her being "punished" by her father.

Shavonn told police she and her husband used a " rod" or "stick" to punish the kids and referenced the Bible for being justified in doing so, prosecutors said.

The "stick," as Shavonn called it, was actually a one-by-two piece of lumber, the state said.

A video of Shavonn's interview with a JSO homicide detective was also played in court. In the video, Shavonn said she turned the TV up so she couldn't hear John beating Jada. The video also revealed Shavonn saying the beating lasted longer than normal and that she had beat the girl as well.

A detective called to testify Thursday said Shavonn seemed "unemotional" and neither her or John were frantic the night of the death.

Another witness called to the stand, a paramedic with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, said, "Upon approach, as she was pointing up the stairs, it caught my eye that she was unexpectedly calm given the situation."

The defense argues Shavonn did not kill Jada and placed full blame on her husband, a former math teacher at Andrew Jackson High School, who was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges Wednesday.

The defense also argued there was no physical evidence to prove Shavonn is guilty, and said, "John Norfleet killed that child."

The paramedic described the moment he tried to revive Jada at the Norfleet apartment the night of January 30 -- the witness said he asked her father flat out if he did it and received the reply, "She got a whoopin' 30 minutes ago."

State Attorney Angela Corey arrived to the courtroom just before a brief recess about noon.

In January, John wrote a letter to Circuit Judge Russell Healey, pleading for his wife's release. It said in part that his wife "never committed child abuse nor any crime against our daughters" and went on to say that it's "absolutely senseless and outrageous to believe that either of us intentionally abused and/or murdered our daughter."

Stay with First Coast News for updates in this developing story.

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