BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Jamestown man has been found not guilty in connection to the death of a 16-month-old child.
That's the verdict that was handed down to 35-year-old Tyler Perez this week. He had been charged in March of this year with the murder of Nayla Hodnett, who was killed in 2014. Perez was the mother's boyfriend at the time.
Hodnett died from blunt force trauma and her death was ruled a homicide.
"While I disagree with the jury's decision, I have tremendous respect their work and the legal process," said District Attorney Patrick Swanson. "My staff worked tirelessly on this case, and I hope their hard work is appreciated even if they were not able to secure a guilty verdict. They knew this case would be difficult from the beginning. They believed in it, but it was always going to be difficult."
