Verdict reached in murder trial of couple accused of killing 10-year-old boy

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Jurors have found a Toronto-area couple guilty of second degree murder in the death of the man’s 10-year-old.

Garfield Boothe and his wife Nichelle Boothe-Rowe had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were laid after the death of Shakeil Boothe.

But defence lawyers admitted the pair’s actions met the criteria for manslaughter.

However, Boothe-Rowe’s lawyer urged the jury to acquit his client, saying she was under duress.

Shakeil left Jamaica in 2009 to come live with his father in Brampton, Ont. _ two years later, he was dead.

Paramedics found his lifeless body in the family’s home on May 27, 2011, but his father and stepmother testified he died the day before.

Prosecutors allege Shakeil was abused, deprived of food and kept chained to his bed in the months before his death.

Court has heard the boy died “minutes to hours” after a savage beating that caused widespread internal bleeding and overwhelmed his weakened body.