NORWICH – The fate of accused murderer George Ford Jr. now rests in the hands of the bench trial’s sole juror, Broome County Judge Joseph Cawley, who told the court he’ll render his decision at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Ford, 44, of Piscataway, N.J., is charged with second degree murder. He arrived at Chenango Memorial Hospital with the body of his neighbor’s 12-year-old daughter, Shyanne Somers, at around 4:30 a.m. on July 8, 2007. Ford claimed he accidentally ran her over four hours earlier, while turning his truck around on Will Warner Road in the Town of Otselic.

More than 60 people filled the Chenango County Courthouse this morning to watch the prosecution question the accused for the first time since his arrest on July 8, 2007.

District Attorney Joseph McBride asked Ford if he was supposed to care for Shyanne while she was with him. “You failed miserably, didn’t you?” asked McBride.

“Yes sir, I failed miserably. But not on purpose,” replied Ford.

McBride spent nearly an hour and a half in his cross-examination of the defendant, asking him to detail his activities on the night in question during the heated testimony.

More details will be published in Wednesday’s Evening Sun.