jurors have convicted Jessica Dutro, 25, of murder in the death of her son, 4-year-old
.
The boy died Aug. 16, 2012, of intestinal tears caused by abdominal trauma. Emergency responders rushed him from a Tigard homeless shelter Aug. 14, 2012, to a Portland hospital.
By that time, Zachary was unresponsive and could not be saved. He remained on life support for the next two days.
The jury deliberated for a little more than an hour Wednesday afternoon in Circuit Court.
Dutro went to trial on seven counts: one count of murder, five counts of murder by abuse and one count of second-degree assault. She was found guilty on all counts. The verdict was unanimous.
Her sentencing was set for April 18.
Dutro showed no visible reaction to the verdict. Dressed in a zebra-print t-shirt and black slacks, she sat between her attorneys, Chris Colburn and Scott Sharp.
Dutro's family members, who now care for her surviving three children, were in the courtroom. They declined to comment outside of court.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Megan Johnson told jurors that Dutro subjected her children to "systematic dehumanization" through brutal beatings -- her method of discipline.
When Zachary went to the hospital, doctors examined his siblings, too. His then-7-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother were covered in bruises; doctors found the 3-year-old had five broken ribs. Only Dutro's infant son was uninjured.
Dutro's defense argued that her boyfriend, Brian Canady, delivered the deadly blow that tore Zachary's bowel in two places.
Canady pleaded guilty last month to first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault for his role in Zachary's death. Early on in the investigation, he took the blame for kicking Zachary. Last month, he told police he witnessed Dutro kick and stomp on the child. Attorneys on both sides said his statements were not credible.
Prosecutors said Dutro and Canady together committed the fatal assault on Zachary just before his fourth birthday. The words of Dutro's daughter were the only evidence needed: "They beat my brother up, then he died," the girl told a counselor. "I seen them.”
-- Emily E. Smith