Fort Wayne, Indiana – A year ago, a man’s trial for the death of his infant daughter ended in a hung jury.
However, on Thursday, a jury in a second trial found Michael Allen Jr. guilty of neglect and aggravated battery. Both charges carry 20 to 40 years in prison.
Back in March 2021, Allen took his 1-year-old daughter to a fire station near their New Haven home for assistance because she was not breathing normally, among other symptoms. She was then transported to a hospital and pronounced deceased.
The Allen County Coroner’s Office determined that Kaivonni Lynn Vachon’s death was a homicide. The doctor who performed the autopsy stated that she had blunt force trauma that could not have been caused by accident; it would require “a serious and direct force such as a punch to the stomach.”
Allen was arrested the next week. He was eventually released on bond but returned to jail when he failed to appear in court. Because the first trial ended in a hung jury in 2024, prosecutors were forced to retry the case with a new jury, which resulted in Thursday’s verdict.
