St. Helena man found not guilty in death of 6-year-old daughter

A St. Helena man was found not guilty Thursday in connection with the death of his 6-year-old daughter in 2015.

Antonio Coaxum was charged in August 2015 with homicide by child abuse in connection to the death of his daughter, D’Naja Fields, that July. A jury deliberated for 50 minutes before reaching a not guilty verdict Thursday, 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office spokeswoman Erinn McGuire said.

Coaxum was represented by assistant public defender Eric Staggs.

“We are happy with the verdict,” the 14th Circuit Public Defender’s office said in a statement. “We believe the verdict reflected the facts as presented, and we know Mr. Coaxum is also very happy with the result.”

Coaxum, 26, had been free on $75,000 bond since Jan. 28, 2016.

The child’s mother, Dajaa Fields, was arrested with Coaxum and also charged with homicide by child abuse. Her case is pending, court records show.

At the time of the couple’s arrest, Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen said D’Naja died of trauma.

Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office investigators said the parents had admitted to striking the child with a belt and called 911 to report the child was unresponsive after falling on the floor multiple times, WTOC reported in 2015. D’Naja was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital and later pronounced dead at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 4:40 PM with the headline "St. Helena man found not guilty in death of 6-year-old daughter."