Man convicted of fracturing child's skull

BILLINGS (AP) — A jury has convicted a 24-year-old Billings man of aggravated assault for fracturing the skull of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter.

Stephen Edward Santillan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

The Billings Gazette reports it took a jury more than three hours Thursday night to find Santillan guilty.

Santillan was babysitting the girl and his son in July 2013 when the girl was injured. Santillan initially claimed she was injured when his 22-month-old son hit her in the head with a toy car.

He testified Thursday that he does not know how she was injured.

The injury caused bleeding on her brain and the child had other signs of abuse, including bruises, a blister and a bite mark.