Missouri Woman to Face Trial for Son’s Death
A southwest Missouri judge has concluded there's enough evidence to send a woman to trial for last year's death of her 4-year-old son.
Twenty-two-year-old Jade Murray, of Aurora, is charged with second-degree murder and felony domestic assault. She's accused of hitting Skylar Bradley hard enough to knock him off his bed. The boy died at a Springfield hospital last December.
The Joplin Globe reports a forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy testified at Monday's preliminary hearing that Skylar died of a ruptured spleen. Dr. Charles Glenn also said the autopsy found numerous bruises.
But under questioning by Murray's public defender, Glenn acknowledged that a spleen could rupture spontaneously.
Murray has pleaded not guilty. A trial date in Lawrence County Circuit Court will be set later.