Kinsley Kinner’s mom takes the stand in murder trial

BUTLER COUNTY — Rebekah Kinner took the stand Thursday in the murder trial of her boyfriend, Bradley Young, who is accused of killing her daughter, Kinsley.

Prosecutors say Young, who is charged with murder, manslaughter and child abuse, caused injuries to Kinsley that led to a fatal brain injury on Dec. 2.

MORE: Kinsley ‘violently shaken,’ doctor testifies

Kinner was asked to divulge details about her relationship with Young and his relationship with her daughter while on the witness stand.

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Young and Kinner began dating in August 2015 after talking on Facebook, she testified.

When Young was home from his job in Michigan, Kinner and Kinsley stayed with him at a house he shared with a roommate on Radabaugh Road.

“At first he (Young) really took to her, he really loved on her,” Kinner told the jury about Young’s relationship with Kinsley.

But that changed, she said.

Young started smacking Kinsley, saying he was disciplining her, Kinner told a courtroom packed with observers.

He would pull down Kinsley’s diaper and smack Kinsley’s butt when she would cry or wake up in the middle of the night, Kinner testified.

“He just took over … I had no say,” Kinner said about Young’s discipline of the 2-year-old.

“I told him not to be so hard on her, she was just a baby. He said I was being too soft on her,” Kinner testified

On Nov. 28, two days after Thanksgiving, Kinner noticed red marks around Kinsley’s neck after the toddler had been out with Young.

Young told Kinner that Kinsley’s head was jerked forward during a car accident that day.

Because Young did not have a driver’s license, Kinner told family members that she was the driver in the car accident.

That night, Kinsley woke up crying, and Kinner said she saw Young hold the child above his head and shake her. She said she saw Young shake Kinsley over his head six times, asking why she was being such a “cry baby.”

Frank Schiavone III, one of Young’s defense lawyers, pointed out that she told the judge at her sentencing that she “didn’t see anything,” but on Thursday recounted Young shaking and abusing Kinsley.

MORE: Kinner, Young told conflicting stories of Kinsley’s injuries

Schiavone III continued to press Kinner about her conflicting statements and suggested that police led her to give statements against Young.

“What he done to her on the couch before he brought her into the room I didn’t see,” Kinner answered, becoming emotional. “But I did see what he did to my daughter and what he did was abuse. You can say he didn’t but he sure the hell did.”

Kinner also testified that on Dec. 1, Young hit Kinsley in the back of the head while putting on the child’s shoes. Kinner said she tried to intervene, but Young threatened her.

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Kinner said she told her family that Kinsley had fallen backward and hit her head.

The night that Kinsley was last seen responsive, Kinner said she went to sleep in the bedroom while Young and the child were on the couch. Kinner said she was awaken by Young opening the door and asking “did you hear her scream?”

Kinsley’s eyes were closed and she wouldn’t wake up, Kinner said, adding that the child’s breathing was “off.”

When Kinsley wouldn’t wake up, she called 911, Kinner said.

Defense attorneys pointed out while Young performed CPR on Kinsley, Kinner went outside.

Kinner admitted she continued to lie about Young’s abuse of Kinsley to investigators to protect Young.

When asked if she ever intervened when Young abused Kinsley, Kinner said, “I didn’t intervene because, I just didn’t.”

But, Kinner said, “everything I told the grand jury is what I seen him do to my daughter.”

Kinner will be back on the witness stand when the trial resumes Friday.

MORE: Get the latest details from the courtroom