YERINGTON — A Silver Springs man has been cleared of murder charges more than five years after he was accused of killing his girlfriend’s toddler son.
A Lyon County District Court jury found Cody Wallace guilty of child neglect, but returned not guilty verdicts in Yerington on Friday on the charges of first-degree murder and manslaughter.
Wallace had been sitting in jail since his arrest in 2010 in the death of 2-year-old Thomas O’Connell.
His first trial ended in a mistrial. The district attorney originally was seeking the death penalty if Wallace was convicted, but later rescinded that request.
Defense attorney Paul Quade told KRNV-TV in Reno that Wallace had been unable to post the $750,000 bail and had been looking forward to his day in court.
