MacAusland Asks for Release
Janette MacAusland, 49, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the April deaths of her 7-year-old son, Kai, and 6-year-old daughter, Ella. She asked a judge to release her from custody and dismiss the case. Her attorney, Joseph Krowski, argued that prosecutors had not presented enough information to justify keeping her behind bars. The judge rejected that request and ordered MacAusland to remain in custody without bail, according to the New York Post. MacAusland has pleaded not guilty.
What Police Say Happened
Police say MacAusland left Massachusetts after the children died and went to her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, on April 24. Officers found her hysterical and with a bloody gash on her neck. A Vermont police report cited by CBS News says she allegedly told her aunt, “I wanted the three of us to go to God together but it didn’t work.” She later told an officer, “I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself.” She said the children had been in her bed. Wellesley police found Kai and Ella dead inside the family’s home on Edgemoor Avenue, where officers described blood spatter throughout the scene. Those statements and observations are part of the allegations in a case that has not yet gone to trial.
The Vermont Arrest and Return to Massachusetts
MacAusland reportedly fled about 140 miles to Vermont after the deaths. Authorities arrested her there as a fugitive from justice. She waived extradition, allowing Massachusetts to bring her back to face the two first-degree murder charges. The return placed her in Massachusetts custody while the court considers the prosecution’s case and the defense’s arguments about detention. For now, the judge has ordered that she remain jailed without bail.
A Divorce and Custody Dispute
The alleged killings unfolded during a bitter divorce and custody dispute between MacAusland and her estranged husband, Samuel MacAusland. Samuel filed for divorce in October after nine years of marriage and sought custody of the children along with possession of the family home. MacAusland filed a counterclaim seeking the same. Three days before Kai and Ella were killed, a guardian was appointed to investigate the dispute and make recommendations about custody. That background is part of the timeline prosecutors and defense attorneys are now presenting to the court.
Medical Examiner Results Are Still Pending
Prosecutors told the court Thursday that they still do not have the official manner and means of death from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. A grand jury that had been hearing the case was dismissed and is expected to reconvene once those results arrive. The next court date is set for late October. Until the medical examiner’s findings are available, the case remains in a procedural holding pattern, with the prosecution waiting for a report it says is needed before moving forward.
Defense Raises Mental Condition
MacAusland’s attorneys are reportedly attempting to frame the case around her mental condition. Krowski argued that his client should not be treated as “Lindsay Clancy 2.0,” referring to the Massachusetts mother who admitted strangling her three children but said she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. “There’s been a discussion, a discourse opened up in this country about whether or not we want to criminalize mental illness,” Krowski said, according to the Post. The defense is placing that question before the court while MacAusland remains held on the murder charges.
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS! PLEASE COMMENT BELOW.
Leave a Comment