After deliberating almost a day and a half, a Collin County jury found a Plano mother guilty Thursday of trying to kill her 22-month-old daughter by twice dropping her from the second-floor balcony of her home.

Padmaja Enjeti, 38, was convicted on all three charges against her: attempted capital murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and injury to a child.

Padmaja Enjeti

The same jury began deliberating punishment for Ms. Enjeti but was sent home by the judge at 6:45 p.m.; deliberations will resume today. Ms. Enjeti faces probation to life in prison.

Ms. Enjeti's head drooped slightly as the guilty verdict was read by state District Judge Greg Brewer. Moments later, as her friends and family members filed into the hallway, the wailing cries of her stepmother could be heard from the courtroom.

The family declined to comment, but defense attorney Howard Shapiro said he was disappointed by the verdict.

"I do not believe that she could have done what she's accused of doing and a 22-month-old would have no injuries," said Mr. Shapiro, who asked for probation for his client.

During the punishment phase of the trial, Sivaram Enjeti told the jury his wife has no prior criminal record and has not had any contact with the children for almost a year under the terms of a court order.

If given probation, Ms. Enjeti will remain under those restrictions and continue to live in a Dallas assisted-living facility or in her own home, Mr. Enjeti testified.

Prosecutors Jo'Dee Neil and Curtis Howard told the jury that probation was not an appropriate punishment for this crime, but they didn't ask for any specific term of imprisonment.

Loretta Keller, an attorney ad litem appointed to represent the two Enjeti children, recommended that they have no contact with their mother at the present time.

Ms. Enjeti sat quietly throughout two days of testimony while the jury had the task of deciding whether her alleged crime was real or imagined.

Howard and Todd Shapiro, her father-and-son defense team, told the jury that Ms. Enjeti only imagined dropping her child over a 14-foot balcony during a psychotic episode on the morning of Nov. 28, 2007.

That version of events was supported by testimony from psychiatrist Dr. Frank Cody, who began treating Ms. Enjeti a month after the incident. He testified that he eventually came to believe she was incapable of such a crime.

The defense attorneys told the jury that the child never suffered any injuries – a point disputed by prosecutors.

A friend of the Enjeti family testified that he held the little girl after she was taken to the hospital and didn't see evidence of an injury. A pediatric neurosurgeon told the jury that he reviewed the medical evidence and found no signs of soft tissue or bony injuries in the child.

While the prosecution agreed that the child's injuries were minor, a Children's Medical Center Dallas pediatrician told the jury that he found swelling on the back of the child's head and three bruises along her backbone. Other testimony referred to a tinge of blood on her lips.

But in the end, Ms. Enjeti's fate may have been sealed by her own words.

Earlier this week, the jury heard the tape of the 911 call she made to report that she had tried to harm her child by pushing her "from the ceiling." The jury also heard a taped interview with Plano police as the woman calmly described her actions that day.

When asked by a Plano detective if what occurred with her baby could have been an accident, Ms. Enjeti replied: "How could this be an accident?"