Detroit 'Freezer Mom' Bound Over For Trial, Tells Judge She Wants To Plead Guilty To Murder
DETROIT (WWJ) - A 36-year-old Detroit woman accused of killing two of her children and storing the bodies in a freezer is headed for trial.
At a hearing Friday, 36th District Judge Kenneth King determined there's enough evidence to send Mitchelle Blair to trial on charges of felony murder, first-degree premeditated murder, torture and child-abuse.
Blair has been in custody since March 24, when court deputies carrying out an eviction at her apartment found the bodies of 13-year-old Stoni Blair and 9-year-old Stephen Berry in the home's deep freezer.
Saying she's "not a coward," Blair stunned the courtroom when she told the judge she was ready to plead guilty to murder, adding that she would take the death penalty if it was an option.
"I did what I did for my baby," said Blair. "I'm already saying I did it. I'm freely giving myself and accepting life in prison."
Judge King told Blair to take another week and it think over, given the seriousness of the charges.
"I'm not going to change my mind," said Blair. "I don't need the week to think about it."
She's due back in court on June 26. A plea deal could be finalized during the hearing.
Blair's attorney, Wyatt Harris, told WWJ's Charlie Langton that his client has had her mind made up for quite some time.
"She's clear in terms of what she wants to do. Yes, it is unusual. However, it's her decision," said Harris.
Blair has made incriminating statements at other court hearings and has been removed from hearings after outburst. In one such incident, the court showed a videotape of Blair's surviving son talking with a social worker. When the 8-year-old boy said he saw his brother being killed, Blair yelled that he "didn't see me kill Stephen, 'cause it was unintentional."
On another occasion Blair yelled: "Everybody wants to know. Yes, I did kill her," referencing Stoni.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Stephen died of multiple blunt trauma and thermal injuries, while Stoni died of blunt trauma to the head.
Blair's surviving son also said in the interview with the social worker that he was whipped with a cord and that his 17-year-old sister was hit with a hammer. Both surviving siblings have been placed in a relative's care.
Separately, the state is seeking to terminate Blair's rights to two other children.
