Supporters rally as New Jersey mom accused of murdering 3-month-old son appears in court
HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Supporters of a Bergen County mother accused in the 2022 death of her baby rallied outside the Bergen County Justice Center on Wednesday morning.
They maintain she did not kill her child and want her set free.
Grace Yoo Chan, 38, entered the courtroom as her mother sobbed from the gallery. It was a brief status hearing in the case.
When it was over, Chan waved to her supporters, about 100 of them, who packed the courtroom.
Outside, another hundred joined together to call for her release.
"Today would mark the 645th day that Grace has been detained," said William Chan, Grace's husband.
"We also talked about filing legal papers to ask that Grace be released. She was originally detained, held, pursuant to New Jersey bail law," defense attorney Brian Neary said.
Grace Yoo Chan, from River Edge, was arrested and charged with murder and child endangerment after her 3-month-old son, Elliot, died. She called 911 on March 29, 2022, after she said he was unresponsive and not breathing.
The baby was brought to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he died days later. Prosecutors say the baby suffered severe head trauma and had multiple fractures on his body.
Grace Yoo Chan's family says Elliot was born premature and had several medical conditions that made him frail. They insist she did not abuse him and say her two other children, a 5-year-old daughter and Elliot's twin brother, have no signs of abuse.
"Our kids miss her a lot. She's missed many milestones," William Chan said.
On a Change.org petition page, her husband writes Elliot suffered from multiple health issues like severe vitamin D deficiency and rickets, which is a softening and weakening of bones in kids.
"It's like a real life nightmare. It seems unreal. I still have difficulty accepting the fact that this all happened," William Chan said.
The Bergen County prosecutor's office says it can't comment on an ongoing case.
The next court date is March 7. Grace Yoo Chan's supporters plan to return for that.
