A man who killed his 17 month-old daughter in a rage over a broken Xbox has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
Philadelphia prosecutors say 27 year-old Tyrone Spellman (right) killed Alayiah Turman in September 2006 with at least five blows to the head when she pulled down his Xbox console. The force of the blows cracked the toddler’s skull.
Spellman was convicted in January of third-degree murder and child endangerment. He was sentenced Thursday, March 13, 2008, to the maximum 22½ to 45 years in prison.
Spellman confessed to police but defense lawyer Bobby Hoof says the statement was coerced and that he was just trying to protect the child’s mother.
But at Thursday’s hearing, Spellman expressed remorse.
The couple’s other child, born after the killing, is in city custody.