An Ypsilanti, Michigan woman is accused of killing her 6-week old son while driving drunk. The woman was released from jail on a personal bond, despite being charged with homicide. The woman is officially charged with homicide with a motor vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, operating while intoxicated causing death, operating with a suspended license causing death, second-degree child abuse and open alcohol container in a vehicle.
According to reports, the baby was in a car seat, but it was in the front seat and not strapped in. The woman got into a car accident, and the air bags were deployed which caused the baby to suffer a head trauma. The baby died due to skull fractures and brain injuries.
The woman is represented by the Washtenaw County Public Defender and has already waived her preliminary examination. She is set to appear before Judge David Swartz on May 30 for a pretrial hearing.
With all of these charges, it would be difficult to face a trial, especially with all of these "bad"facts for a judge or jury to hear about. It is likely that this woman's attorney and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office are negotiating a plea bargain, which will send this woman to prison, but avoid multiple convictions and an extended prison sentence. I'm not surprised she waived her right to a preliminary examination, because most prosecutor's will indicate a more favorable plea bargain if the defendant doesn't force the prosecutor to present evidence/witnesses to show meet the burden of the examination. There may not have been any real issues to justify losing out on a better plea deal to challenge the evidence.
This case goes beyond the standard Michigan drunk driving offense, and most of the best Michigan DUI defenses may not be as helpful in this sort of case.
According to reports, the baby was in a car seat, but it was in the front seat and not strapped in. The woman got into a car accident, and the air bags were deployed which caused the baby to suffer a head trauma. The baby died due to skull fractures and brain injuries.
The woman is represented by the Washtenaw County Public Defender and has already waived her preliminary examination. She is set to appear before Judge David Swartz on May 30 for a pretrial hearing.
With all of these charges, it would be difficult to face a trial, especially with all of these "bad"facts for a judge or jury to hear about. It is likely that this woman's attorney and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office are negotiating a plea bargain, which will send this woman to prison, but avoid multiple convictions and an extended prison sentence. I'm not surprised she waived her right to a preliminary examination, because most prosecutor's will indicate a more favorable plea bargain if the defendant doesn't force the prosecutor to present evidence/witnesses to show meet the burden of the examination. There may not have been any real issues to justify losing out on a better plea deal to challenge the evidence.
This case goes beyond the standard Michigan drunk driving offense, and most of the best Michigan DUI defenses may not be as helpful in this sort of case.