Parents Charged In Malnourished Girl's Death Await Key Hearing
PORT HURON (WWJ/AP) - The father and stepmother accused of murder, torture and abuse after two young girls were found malnourished and dehydrated are due back in court later this month for a key hearing.
Andrew and Hilery Maison appeared Tuesday in a Port Huron courtroom and a judge scheduled a hearing June 25 to determine if the case goes to trial.
Five-year-old Mackenzie was pronounced dead last month at a hospital. Prosecutors say her 3-year-old sister was released from the hospital and is recovering in foster care.
The Maisons' bonds were denied at a May 29 arraignment. Hilery Maison contested the charges. Her attorney, Michael Boucher, told the court he has received hundreds of pages of documents but still is awaiting an autopsy report.
Assistant Prosecutor Mona Armstrong said Mackenzie was 25 pounds at the time of her death, and was also suffering from pneumonia and a genital infection. Her 3-year-old sister weighs 17 pounds. Armstrong described both as "severely malnourished."
Prosecutors say two other children, aged 10 and 1, are in foster care and appear to be healthy. They are Hilery Maison's biological children.
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