A judge found a 22-year-old Minneapolis man guilty on Thursday of murdering his baby daughter, but a trial is still underway to determine if the father was mentally ill when he beat the girl.

Cory Morris is attempting to prove that he was not legally responsible for killing his 5-month-old daughter, Emersyn. On Aug. 23, Morris was watching Emersyn in his northeast Minneapolis apartment when he snapped, punching the girl 15 times in the face and seven times in the chest.

The girl's mother was at work that day and left the child with Morris, who had never before shown any kind of violence.

After killing Emersyn, Morris called the girl's mother to say that he was going to jail because he had done something to their child. He later called 911.

During testimony on Wednesday, the mother described Morris as a good father who had been watching the baby for months, according to the Hennepin County attorney's office. Though he just seemed more sad before killing Emerysn, the mother said Morris never said or did anything that indicated he might hurt the girl.

Family members said last August that although they'd long been trying to get Morris psychological help, he never showed violent tendencies, and it was typical for him to watch the baby on his own.

Cory Morris

After Morris was charged, County Attorney Mike Freeman said during a news conference that when police first spoke with Morris, he expressed no remorse. He would later tell law enforcement that he was schizophrenic and heard voices.

Brandon Stahl • 612-673-4626