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Expert: Python Malnourished In Toddler Death Case

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla.,None — Testimony continued on Wednesday in the case of a Sumter County couple on trial for the death of a toddler who was killed by a pet python that was kept in their home.

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State expert and snake farmer, Eugene Bessette, testified on Wednesday that a pet python kept inside a couple's home was malnourished when it suffocated Shaianna.

The snake escaped from its enclosure and suffocated Shaianna inside her crib. Charles Darnell and the 2-year-old's mother, Jaren Hare, are charged with manslaughter, third-degree murder and neglect in the death of the toddler.

Bessette was asked how he would describe the 5-year-old, 8 1/2 foot-long female Burmese python.

"Very, very, very lean, underfed, under-nourished," said Bessette.

Prosecutors said that was the approximate age and size of the pet python named Gypsy that crawled into the crib of Shaianna Hare on July 1, 2009 inside her home off CR- 466.

Bessette told jurors on Wednesday that while there are differences among animals, similarly aged Burmese pythons on his farm would average 15 to 16 feet and weigh roughly 140 pounds. Bessette also discussed the enclosure that was used to house the snake.

"That particular item, in the condition that it's in, with what it had on top of it, is totally impossibly incapable of housing a Burmese python," said Bessette.

On cross examination, Bessette said he had not been provided with photographs of the snake immediately after its removal from the couple's home.

Jurors will hear from the assistant medical examiner on Wednesday afternoon.

Previous Stories: July 12, 2011: Testimony Begins In Case Of Python Killing Toddler July 12, 2011: Jury Selection Ends In Child Killed By Snake Case July 11, 2011: Jury Selection Begins In Case Of Girl Killed By Python

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