A Detroit woman accused in the deaths of her two children, whose bodies were found stuffed in a freezer last week, is now officially charged with murder.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office amended charges Wednesday against Mitchelle Blair, 35, to include two counts of felony murder, two counts of premeditated murder, and one count of torture in the deaths of her children, 13-year-old Stoni Ann Blair and 9-year-old Stephen Gage Berry, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The prosecutor's office said the new charges were filed because a medical examiner's report said the children died of "multiple blunt trauma" and ruled their deaths as homicide. Blair was previously charged with child abuse counts which carry the potential for life in prison.
The murder charges carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Investigators believe the children were beaten to death around two years ago and placed in the freezer, where the bodies remained until they were discovered by officials conducting an eviction on the morning of March 24.
Police have said Blair confessed to killing her children. Blair’s attorney, Wyatt G. Harris, declined to comment on the new charges Wednesday. A probable cause hearing for the new charges is scheduled for Thursday morning.
IN-DEPTH
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