Melissa Wilband is accused of shaking her baby Lexi to death. She then refused to stay by her bedside in the hospital.
Wilband and Jack Wheeler both face manslaughter charges. Lexi collapsed at home in Newent. This happened in the Forest of Dean. She passed away six days after collapsing.
Lexi had brain bleeding, likely from violent shaking. It seemed to happen more than once. Wilband said Lexi was in a bouncer chair. Then, Lexi cried, became floppy, and stopped breathing.
Lexi went to two hospitals. The first was Gloucestershire Royal. She was then moved to Bristol Children’s Hospital. Doctors decided to end her life support there.
The prosecutor, Jane Osborne KC, spoke in court. She said Wilband knew Lexi might die. Yet, she did not stay at her bedside. A nurse stayed with Lexi all night.
Lexi’s breathing slowed on April 18th. Wilband arrived after Lexi stopped breathing. Before Lexi’s birth, Wilband lied to Wheeler. She said he was Lexi’s real dad.
Wilband faked a paternity test. The word “father” was misspelled. Wheeler got a real test later. It showed he was not Lexi’s father. Wilband convinced him to stay.
Wheeler moved in during the lockdown. They allegedly used cocaine often. Their home was very messy, reports said. Food covered all the kitchen surfaces.
Wilband called 999 on April 12, 2020. Paramedics found Lexi unresponsive. Wilband allegedly rolled cigarettes and used her phone. She declined to hold Lexi before intubation.
Wheeler told police Lexi became floppy. This reportedly happened in his arms. An autopsy showed brain bleeding caused her death. Shaking was a likely cause.
The bleeding in Lexi’s eyes was severe. There were too many spots to count. Wilband and Wheeler both deny killing Lexi. The trial is still ongoing.