Dressed in formal clothing, bound by shackles Chris Cheary walked into the courtroom showing no sign of emotion as he sat there listening to every witness called to the stand.
After an extensive review of evidence, investigators came to the conclusion that Cheary murdered, tortured, and sexually assaulted the little girl.
In a past interview with CBS47, Cheary denied those allegations. He said at that time he believed acosta fell and hit her head.
"If I could, i would gladly switch places with Sophia in a heart beat," Chris Cheary said.
Acosta's great grandfather sat in the back row of the courtroom trying to fight back the tears.
"He's there for a reason, and he knows. Whatever happens, happens. I just want some justice," said Sophia's great grandfather, Sam Coronado said.
He believes the little girl's mother isn't exactly innocent either.
"She was involved. Some of her friends said she shouldn't be walking the streets. She should be locked up," said Coronado.
He says Cheary doesn't stand a chance in this case against the murder of his great granddaughter.
"They got too much evidence on him already. The DNA and all that stuff. He's in a pretty bad position but he has to pay for what he did," said Coronado.
Coronado says he last saw baby Sophia two weeks before she died, and the image of his little girl's smile is the only thing he wants to remember.
"Good thing I took some pictures of her. It's just sad, really sad."said Coronado.
Cheary's family was not available for comment.
