But medical experts from the University of Wisconsin Hospital system disagreed with Plunkett, and said the child most likely was rendered unconscious immediately following the blows to the head. They said those wounds likely were inflicted the same night Janusiak called 911.

Calkins also called into question Janusiak's truthfulness, pointing out inconsistencies in her story, and alleged bias on the part of family members who testified on her behalf.

Defense attorney Eric Schulenburg told jurors they should not disregard the testimony of Janusiak’s supporters simply because of their ties to her.

“I can’t bring in strangers to tell you about the defendant,” Schulenburg said. “So I bring in her family.”

He said it seemed unlikely that a woman who had no documented history of child abuse would murder the daughter of her then-best friend, Payten, who Janusiak said she loved as if she was one of her own.

Someone who had just committed an act of violence against an infant would be more likely to stage an accident, Schulenburg said, such as dropping the child on a sidewalk or down a flight of stairs.

“You would not call 911,” Schulenburg said.