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Angela Alexie, a Michigan mom charged with murder and child abuse in the death of her 2-day-old son.
At a brief hearing Wednesday in Eastpointe’s 38th District Court, Judge Carl Gerds III set Feb. 20 as the date for a preliminary examination for Angela Marie Alexie.
Alexie is accused of giving birth to a baby boy last Dec. 22, leaving the child in an unheated garage in Eastpointe and then discarding the infant in a recycling bin.
The child’s body was found Jan. 14 by employees of the ReCommunity Recycling center in Roseville.
Prosecutors have filed two charges against the defendant: felony murder and first-degree child abuse. Felony murder is charged when a death occurs during the commission of a felony. In this case, prosecutors maintain the infant’s death resulted as a result of child abuse.
If convicted, Alexie could be sent to prison for the rest of her life.
Alexie’s court-appointed attorney, Steven Kaplan, said he expects to challenge the prosecution’s assertion.
“It’s our position felony murder is not the proper charge,” Kaplan said.
A preliminary examination is an initial phase of a criminal trial during which prosecutors must prove a crime was committed and “probable cause” exists that the defendant was responsible.
Witnesses from the police and medical examiner’s office as well as employees from the recycling center are likely to testify.
At the conclusion of the exam, Judge Gerds will decide if prosecutors presented enough evidence to warrant a circuit court trial.
Also Wednesday, Kaplan said he signed a waiver on Alexie’s behalf that will clear the way for authorities to take custody of the child’s remains.
Several businesses and agencies have donated services and material to ensure the child receives a proper burial. The Roseville Police Department, the agency in charge of the investigation, is expected to announce funeral arrangements any day.
The child is scheduled to be buried in a special children’s section at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Township.
Although unofficial, employees of the Macomb County Medical Examiner’s Office have named the child Henry Alexander Macomb, in recognition of Alexander Macomb.
Macomb was a U.S. Army commander in the first half of the 19th century who distinguished himself during the War of 1812. Macomb County was named in honor of the general.
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Agencies/Canadajournal
