Trial Date Set For Woman Accused Of Killing Son In Decades-Old New Jersey Cold Case
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Florida woman charged in the death of her 5-year-old son more than two decades ago in New Jersey will have her day in court early next year.
A trial date for Michelle Lodzinski has been set for Jan. 12, The Home News Tribune reported. Initially the trial was expected to begin Oct. 27.
Lodzinski pleaded not guilty in September to killing her son Timothy Wiltsey in 1991.
She had said her son disappeared at a carnival, but prosecutor Scott LaMountain said Lodzinski's story changed seven times and she failed to mention relevant information.
Timothy's skeletal remains were found 11 months later in a marshy area of Edison near where Lodzinski once worked.
Prosecutors claims they have evidence against Lodzinski, including a blanket found near Timothy's body. Investigators said Lodzinski and her mother both denied recognizing the blanket, but that another key witness immediately recognized it.
Lodzinski, who long considered a possible suspect in her son's disappearance and death, was living in Florida last August when she was arrested.
She remains jailed on $2 million bail.
Next month, Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves is expected to hear arguments from Lodzinski's lawyer on a motion to dismiss the indictment.
Lodzinski has run into other legal troubles over the years since her son died.
She surfaced in Michigan in January 1994 and said two men claiming to be FBI agents had abducted her at gunpoint outside her apartment building, forced her into a black SUV and drove her to Detroit, where they let her out.
She pleaded guilty in 1995 to making false statements to the FBI and fraudulently using the agency's seal. She was sentenced to probation.
In 1997, Lodzinski was charged with stealing a computer from her former employer. She pleaded guilty to a theft charge in 1998. A federal judge sentenced her to house arrest after she admitted she committed a crime while on probation.
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