An Irish nanny accused of slamming an infant against a wall and changing table before presenting its lifeless body as sleeping to its relatives has pleaded not guilty to murder.
Defense attorneys for Aisling Brady McCarthy, 34, say the baby was already 'sick' and 'not normal' while in her care before found bruised and unconscious in her family’s Cambridge, Massachusetts home last January.
Prosecutors say Rehma Sabir was hospitalized with severe head injuries on her first birthday, January 14, before being declared brain dead two days later.
Plea: Irish nanny Aisling McCarthy Brady, 34, has pleaded not guilty to murdering an infant in her care last January
No bail: McCarthy, who has been in the United States illegally for the last 13 years, is being held without bail on charges of first-degree murder and assault
On Thursday Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said McCarthy violently shook Rehma, possibly bouncing the infant's skull off a changing table and a wall, as seen by plaster shattered from the wall.
McCarthy, who has been in the United States illegally for the last 13 years, is being held without bail on charges of first-degree murder and assault.
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'The wrong person has been charged with this crime,' her attorney Melinda Thompson said on Thursday, according to the Boston Herald. 'This baby was not normal. This baby was sick'
Fitzgerald said that the only 'sickness' McCarthy's defence was claiming was the baby experiencing separation anxiety after her mother recently started a new job.
Fitzgerald said the infant's father Sameer Sabir and mother Nada Siddiqui were expecting family in from outside the country to celebrate their child's birthday when their child never woke up.
Parents: The infant's father Sameer Sabir, left, and mother Nada Siddiqui, right, were expecting family in from outside the country to celebrate their child's birthday when their child never woke up
Nanny: The baby's parents, Nada Siddiqui and Sameer Sabir, told police McCarthy had been a nanny for their family for about six months
When the baby's grandparents arrived at the home to see the child after Siddiqui had left for work, McCarthy told them Rehma was napping, according to Fitzgerald.
She presented them with a video baby monitor showing Rehma appearing to be sleeping as evidence.
Later when they returned that evening, around 4.30pm, McCarthy said Rehma was still sleeping.
Claims: McCarthy's defense claims that the infant was already sick and not normal before its death
The family went to wake the child, but was unsuccessful, prompting a call to 911.
According to Fitzgerald, damage was seen to the wall with chips of plaster found on the floor. Blood was also found on the infant's pillow, a dish towel thrown in a trash can, and six baby wipes.
The blood was not publicly identified as belonging to Rehma.
Earlier this month a Middlesex County grand jury also accused the nanny of assault and battery on a child causing bodily injury.
McCarthy had previously pleaded not guilty to assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury.
Prosecutors said in the statement: 'The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and ruled that the cause of death is blunt force head injuries, and the manner of death is homicide and not accidental.'
The prosecutors also claim that investigators reached the conclusion that the nanny was alone with the baby when her fatal injuries occurred.
In February, a judge ruled in McCarthy's favor when her lawyer asked for the preservation of all records related to the baby's travel and people who were around her from June 2012 until she died.
That included who traveled with the baby, where the baby stayed and whether medical personnel examined her.
Partner: Brady, got married in September to Irish national Don McCarthy, 38
The defense has claimed Rehma returned home malnourished after traveling overseas, including to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and London.
State police said in court documents that a pillow, a blanket and baby wipes that were stained with blood were found in the baby's bedroom.
Authorities have accused McCarthy of 'violently injuring' the baby, causing her death.
Authorities also said a neighbor reported hearing the baby crying for nearly an hour on her birthday, followed by more intense crying, but knocks on the family's door went unanswered.
The baby's parents, Nada Siddiqui and Sameer Sabir, told police McCarthy had been a nanny for their family for about six months.
Immigration officials have said McCarthy is in the United States illegally after entering from Ireland under a tourist program that allowed a 90-day stay.