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Trial opens in Gainesville shaken-baby case; defense blames strokes
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Julian Jalbert, right, listens to opening statements during his trial Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the Hall County Courthouse. Jalbert faces multiple counts of child cruelty. - photo by Ashtin Barker
A Gainesville father shook his 8-week-old son so violently that the infant suffered catastrophic brain damage, severe vision loss and fractures to his legs and ribs, prosecutors told a Hall County jury Tuesday — but defense attorneys said the boy was stricken by a series of unavoidable strokes that doctors prematurely labeled as child abuse.