Father won't face trial death of daughter

MOUNT HOLLY, NEW JERSERY - A Georgia man will not face trial for the death of his daughter, who died seven years after being shaken and injured by him. <br> <br> Superior Court Judge John Ameida declared Lawrence Duncan a free man Friday, saying prosecutors should have told him he could ultimately face a murder charge when they entered into a plea bargain with him in 1996. <br> <br> Duncan served almost 3.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to endangering the welfare of a child for shaking his then-infant daughter, Tanzhane, in September 1995 because she would not stop crying. <br> <br> The girl was injured and remained in a vegetative state until she died on Jan. 6, 2002. Last April, prosecutors filed a murder charge against Duncan, who after his 2000 prison release had moved to Georgia, remarried, had another child and took a job as a chef in Savannah. <br> <br> Prosecutors alleged the pneumonia that killed Tanzhane resulted from shaken baby syndrome. <br> <br> Duncan&#39;s lawyer said the defense and prosecution at the time viewed Duncan&#39;s 1996 guilty plea as the disposition of the case. The judge found it was believed then the girl&#39;s injuries would eventually prove fatal. <br> <br> The prosecutor&#39;s office has not decided whether to appeal the judge&#39;s ruling.

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