GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A Gwinnett County Superior Court judge has granted an extraordinary motion for a new trial for a man who was convicted more than two decades ago in the death of his 2-year-old son, vacating his murder conviction and life sentence.

Danyel Smith was convicted in 2003 following the death of his infant son, Chandler, based on a diagnosis of “shaken baby syndrome.”

On Wednesday, the superior court judge ruled that Smith had presented new evidence that could cause a reasonable juror to have reasonable doubt about his conviction.

“We are grateful for this decision, and we look forward to continuing to represent Mr. Smith in his quest for justice and freedom,” Smith’s attorneys with the Southern Center for Human Rights said in a statement.

Smith’s legal team argued that advances in science and medicine have undermined the shaken baby diagnosis used in his case. His attorneys said new evidence shows Chandler’s death was caused by medical complications connected to his premature birth, not abuse.

Smith filed an Extraordinary Motion for New Trial in Gwinnett County Superior Court after presenting testimony from eight expert witnesses in 2024.

The prosecution previously offered Smith a plea agreement for time served in 2023, which would have allowed him to leave prison after 21 years. His attorneys said Smith rejected the offer because he maintained he was innocent and did not want to plead guilty to a crime he did not commit.

The trial court initially denied Smith’s motion, but in October 2025, the Supreme Court of Georgia unanimously ordered the court to reconsider the case and apply the correct legal standard.

The case is scheduled for a hearing on Sept. 1.