Murder Charge Filed In Boy's Death On Indian Land
MOUNT PLEASANT (AP) - A grand jury indicted a central Michigan man Wednesday in the death of a 4-year-old boy, more than four months after the badly burned remains were discovered outside the victim's house.
Anthony Bennett has been in custody on another charge since Carnel Chamberlain's remains were found in June at a home on the Saginaw Chippewa Indian reservation, about 70 miles north of Lansing. He was living with Carnel and the boy's mother.
Bennett is charged with first-degree murder, assault of a child, assault with a dangerous weapon, animal cruelty and witness tampering.
"We're not surprised," defense attorney Anthony Chambers said. "We'll go forward and defend the case."
Carnel was last seen alive on June 21 when his mother went to work and left him in Bennett's care. A weeklong search on the reservation ensued until the remains were found buried outside the home.
Bennett was subsequently charged with an earlier assault on the boy, a key step that kept him in custody while authorities developed the murder case against him. The FBI and federal prosecutors investigate crimes committed on Indian land.
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