CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C.,None — The man convicted of abuse in connection with a child's death died just days after he was found guilty.
The Cleveland County coroner said Dwight Justice died from a brain aneurysm.
SLIDESHOW: Scene from Dwight Justice's trial
The coroner said blood vessels ruptured in his brain.
Justice was awaiting sentencing on the child abuse conviction when he was found without a pulse in his jail cell Tuesday morning.
Justice died little more than a week after he was convicted of abusing Jeremiah Swafford, his stepson.
Last Monday, Justice was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs after the jury returned a guilty verdict on felony child abuse, but could not reach a consensus on a sentence.
The judge dismissed the jury and said Justice would be sentenced at a later date. He was facing up to nine years in prison.
Prosecutors were seeking a murder conviction for Justice, but the jury could not reach an agreement after hours of deliberations.
Kathy Swafford, the boy's mother, is also facing murder charges in the death of her son.
Her trial will start next month.
WSOC
