Convicted child killer loses appeal

Ronnie Lynn Kirksey

A man convicted in the 2006 murder of a 23-month-old boy has lost his bid to get the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to rehear the appeal of his conviction and death sentence.

Ronnie Lynn Kirksey was convicted in February 2010 of capital murder in the death of Cornell Norwood, the son of his girlfriend. In December, the appeals court affirmed his conv

iction.

An Etowah county jury found Kirksey guilty of capital murder and unanimously recommended a sentence of death. Etowah County Circuit Judge David Kimberley sentenced Kirksey to death, triggering the automatic appeals process that follows all capital murder convictions.

According to testimony during Kirksey’s trial, the child died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head that caused a skull fracture. However, the autopsy report indicated the child suffered internal injuries that would have killed him had the brain injury not.

According to the court’s review of the case, Kirksey told police he kicked the child and stood on the toddler’s body.