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Erika Murray charged in infant deaths, a Massachusetts woman accused of abusing and neglecting her children in a house of squalor pleaded not guilty Monday to nine criminal charges including two counts of first degree murder.
[fwdevp preset_id=”8″ video_path=”B-h-S_oQMg0″]The mother of seven children – four living, three deceased – had originally been charged with foetal death concealment. She had pleaded not guilty to that lower charge and has since been jailed on $1 million bail.
Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Erika Murray on the nine counts. The charges also include two counts of assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury, two counts of reckless endangerment of a child, two counts of cruelty to animals and one count of concealing a foetal death.
Murray’s lawyer Keith Halpern has said there’s no evidence she caused the deaths of the babies.
The two murder charges relate to two dead infants, who were found wearing nappies and one-piece infant outfits.
The other set of remains was a foetus. All were found dead in wardrobes.
Halpern argued in court for Murray’s release until trial, saying that prosecutors had not made a case for keeping her in isolation in a women’s prison.
But Assistant District Attorney John Bradley argued that the circumstances of the case, including the deplorable living conditions in the house and the health of the surviving children, were reasons enough.
Bradley said the dead foetus had the placenta and umbilical cord still attached; a three-year-old could neither talk nor walk, was severely malnourished and had maggots in her ears.
One child who was six-months-old appeared to have spent much of her young life on her back.
State police entered the home on September 10 after a neighbour had discovered the older children severely neglected.
Police found that the house contained dead animals, was infested with rodents and insects and was piled high with dirty nappies and rubbish.
Workers in hazmat suits spent days cleaning out the house, which was eventually condemned and demolished.
Agencies/Canadajournal
