Woman, 24, To Stand Trial On Murder Charge For Allegedly Leaving Newborn In Garage
EASTPOINTE (WWJ/AP) -- The 24-year-old Eastpointe woman accused of killing her infant son in December was bound over on a felony murder charge in court on Friday.
The child died on Christmas Eve after his mother, Angela Alexie, allegedly kept him in a garage with a broken window for two days.
Four prosecution witnesses were enough to establish probable cause for Alexie to be bound over on both felony murder and first-degree child abuse charges. Alexie admitted the child was hers, but said that she did not leave the boy in a recycling container.
Cindy Johnson, a sorter at the recycling center where the child's boy was found, made the gruesome discovery.
"I said that's a real baby, stop the line, stop the line," said Johnson. "He was like in a curled position, curled up like he was trying to be warm and there was a little bit of debris on him, like paper, and there was a black t-shirt."
Prosecutors contend that Alexie hid her pregnancy from everyone out of embarrassment. Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Bill Cataldo spoke about Alexie's first-degree murder charge.
"Slow killing, fast killing -- what's the difference? Killing is killing, whether it's by gunshot, by knife, by strangulation, by burning, by leaving the child exposed to the elements," Cataldo said.
Police say Alexie gave birth in a garage in Eastpointe on Dec. 22 and left the baby. It died two days later, likely from exposure to cold weather. The body was found at a recycling center in nearby Roseville on Jan. 14.
"No food, no water, no clothing, no warmth, no blanket, no protection against the elements -- this child had no chance," Cataldo said.
Once the baby was put into a recycling bin, Cataldo said Alexie could have done almost anything with the baby, including taking him inside the home.
"There are a ton of options she could have used," Cataldo said. "That child was 15 feet from a door that would have led that child to warmth."
Alexie had three other children, ages 1 to 4, but doesn't have custody of them. She is scheduled back in court on March 2 while being held on $1 million bond.
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