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Radford man found guilty of aggravated murder in 2020 death of 2-year-old

The verdict was reached after hours of deliberations on Thursday

RADFORD, Va. – The fate of a Radford man accused of killing a two-year-old girl has been decided.

On Thursday, the jury found Andrew Byrd guilty of aggravated murder in the 2020 death of Harper Mitchell. He was also found guilty of multiple other charges, including abduction and assault and battery. He was found not guilty on lesser charges.

During the days-long trial, multiple witnesses took the stand, a jailhouse phone call was played, interrogation videos were shown, and the medical examiner gave testimonies. 10 News has been following the trial since day one. To see previous coverage, scroll to the bottom of this article.

On Thursday, the ME said Harper had dozens of injuries on her head and up and down her spine and testified Harper’s injuries were not consistent with accidental issues due to their severity and pattern. There was also a video shown in court on the trial’s fourth day, in which Byrd yelled, “I did it, I killed her.”

The jury deliberated for nearly five-and-a-half hours on Thursday before coming to their decision.

Byrd’s sentencing is scheduled for June 5 at 9:30 a.m.

You can see 10 News’ previous coverage of the trial below:


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Alli Graham came aboard the digital team as an evening digital content producer in June 2022.