End of the legal road for Gardena baby killer

A Gardena father has failed to convince an appellate court that he was wrongly convicted of murdering his 6-month-old son.

Sean Christian Bradley Sr., 29, argued to the 2nd District Court of Appeal that the jury on his 2007 trial should not have heard that his baby had rib fractures that predated his death.

But in an opinion issued Nov. 20, the appellate court found that the older injuries were relevant because they showed that his later injuries and death were the result of intentional and abusive acts - not accident or natural causes.

"This was the essence of the controversy over cause of death, and the origin of the prior injuries bore circumstantially upon it," the opinion states.

Sean Christian Bradley Jr. died on May 10, 2005.

Sean lived with Bradley , his mother and his mother's three daughters, ages 9 to 12, in the 2900 block of 141st Place.

Bradley was the boy's primary caregiver during the day while his mother was at work, according to evidence presented at his Torrance Superior Court trial.

Bradley told police he left Sean alone on a bed and found him lying on the floor, not breathing. He took the baby to a neighbor, who called 911.

In a tape of the call, Bradley is heard crying and trying to follow the dispatcher's instructions.

Sean was taken to a hospital where life-saving measures continued, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

A coroner testified that Sean died from asphyxiation. Bruising on his lung, heart and thymus showed he was squeezed to death, the coroner opined.

The coroner also found Sean had eight rib fractures in various states of healing from before his death - evidence that the prosecutor argued showed his short life was marked by ongoing abuse.

Bradley 's attorney, though, called experts who testified that Sean 's injuries could have been caused by chest compressions administered by Bradley and medical professionals trying to save the baby's life.

A defense expert also testified that a "major brain anomaly" resulted in a seizure and his death.

Bradley was convicted of child abuse causing death and second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

In his appeal, Bradley also argued that his murder conviction should be reversed because the evidence did not show he had the malice that is required in a second-degree murder conviction.

He asserted that the prior rib fractures could show that he had squeezed Sean hard on two occasions, and those actions did not result in the baby's death. Therefore, Bradley could not have known the action would have killed Sean , he claims.

The appellate court found the argument "unpersuasive."

"Moreover," the opinion concludes, "it is common knowledge that squeezing an infant hard around the vital organs is a dangerous and threatening practice."