Dad relives his toddler's last moments at the trial of the man who 'raped and beat her to death'
A New Jersey father on Thursday testified at the murder trial of a man accused of sexually assaulting and killing his daughter a month before her second birthday.
Robert Smyth Jr recounted for the jury the last time he saw the toddler in hospital before making the heartbreaking decision to take her off life support.
Michael Disporto Jr, 25, is being tried on charges of first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault in the July 2016 death of his new girlfriend's 23-month-old daughter, Ariana Smyth.
Ariana’s mother, Amber Bobo, served 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to seek medical attention for her child.
Hideous charges: Michael Disporto, 25 (left), is being tried for the rape and murder of 23-month-old Ariana Smyth (right) in New Jersey in July 2016
Mom: Ariana's mother, Amber Bobo, 28 (pictured), served 15 months in jail after pleading guilty to failing to seek medical attention for her child
Under the conditions of her plea deal, Bobo, 28, is required to testify against Disporto.
The defendant has staunchly maintained his innocence, claiming that Ariana injured herself by falling in the park.
Smyth, 28, took the witness stand on Thursday, telling the jury how he last saw his daughter alive on July 2, 2016, when he placed her in Bobo's car.
‘I kissed her. I said “I love you,”’ Smyth said in Camden County Superior Court, as NJ.com first reported.
Three days later, Smyth was summoned to Cooper University Hospital, where he saw Ariana in a vegetative state caused by a blow to the head.
‘I had to pull my daughter off life support,’ the dad told the court.
According to a probable cause statement filed in the case, and assistant prosecutor Peter Crawford's opening statements, after Smyth Jr dropped his daughter off at her mother's, Disporto - Bobo's boyfriend of less than two weeks - offered to take the toddler to the park alone to 'get to know her better.'
Investigators said Bobo (left) waited seven hours before calling 911 on the evening of July 3, 2016, even though she found bruises on Ariana's genitals that morning
The following morning, investigators said Bobo found Ariana sleeping on the coach in clothes that were different from what she had on earlier, and noticed bruises on the girl’s forehead, genitals and back.
Bobo suggested taking Ariana to the hospital, but she waited seven hours because Disporto waved her off, according to the court documents.
In between, the three went to a nearby mall, where Ariana began vomiting. They took the girl back to Bobo’s home, where she vomited again before the three returned to the mall, investigators said.
They shopped until around 3.30pm, then returned home again.
After the toddler threw up for a third time and her eyes rolled back into her head later that afternoon, Bobo told Disporto that she wanted to take her daughter to the hospital, investigators said.
A posting from July 2016 by Ariana's grandfather reveals the anger felt towards Disporto and Bobo
But Disporto said the girl was 'just tired' and told Bobo he would never see her again if she took the girl in, investigators said.
Bobo finally called 911 at 6pm and Ariana was rushed to the hospital, where she required brain surgery. She also had a fractured arm, pulmonary contusions and genital injuries. She died two days later.
Her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, but Crawford told the jury the little girl had internal injuries, damage to her genitals, a fractured arm and bruises covering her body from head to toe.
The prosecution argue that Disporto is the only person who could have assaulted and killed Ariana.
Disporto's defense attorney, however, told jurors police have no DNA evidence proving that his client raped the toddler.
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