Trial Starts In Deaths Of 2 Allen Park Toddlers
TRAVERSE CITY (WWJ/AP) - A 27-year-old man charged with drowning his two children is facing trial in Wayne County Circuit Court.
A bench trial was under way Monday in the case of Steven Nicholson, who is accused of killing the toddlers in the tub of his Allen Park apartment last October. He waived his right to a jury trial.
Ella Stafford was 15 months old and Johnathan Sanderlin was 13 months.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner has said it's possible, but unlikely, the children could have turned on the water and entered the bathtub on their own.
The prosecutor called it "torture.''
"The alleged facts in this case have affected even the most seasoned prosecutors in this office," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in statement, in October. "We stand ready to bring this case to justice in a court of law."
The charges against Nicholson include first-degree murder, a felony punishable by life in prison, and two counts of child abuse.
Nicholson's lawyer said his client fell asleep and may have been negligent but didn't kill the kids. The trial is in the courtroom of Judge Vera Massey Jones.
The children had different mothers. Neither woman lived with Nicholson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
