Man convicted of killing toddler in church fight
A western Minnesota man has been found guilty of killing a toddler while swinging a baseball bat at her father at church.
Fifty-year-old David Collins, of Wheaton, waived his right to a jury trial and was convicted by a Traverse County judge Wednesday of second-degree felony murder and second-degree assault.
Collins was accused of striking 14-month-old Aundrea Brownlow after he got into a fight over a $20 debt with her father, Claude Hankins, at Thy Kingdom Come World Ministries in Wheaton last September.
Aundrea's mother, Sherri Hankins, tells KSAX-TV she's still "processing" the verdict. She says she will give an impact statement at sentencing June 21, the same day Aundrea would have turned two.
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At the time of the attack, Thy Kingdom Come church was led by Pastor Danny Barnes, who's now serving an 11-year sentence for an unrelated assault.
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Information from: KSAX-TV
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