Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
India

Indian Toddler Sherin Mathews’ Foster Parents To Be Tried Separately: US Court

IANS, 09 Feb, 2019 02:21 AM

    A US court has ruled that the Indian-American foster parents of Sherin Mathews, accused in the death of their 3-year-old special needs daughter, will face separate trials, according to a media report.


    Sherin, who was adopted by Wesley Mathews and Sini Mathews in 2016, was found dead in a culvert near the family's home in Richardson, Texas, on October 22, 2017, two weeks after her family reported her missing.


    Wesley initially told the police that his daughter had gone missing from outside the house. He had made her stand outside the house at 3 am as punishment for not finishing her milk. Sherin was missing when he went back for her, Wesley had contended.


    He changed his story later and told investigators that Sherin died after choking on milk. He admitted to putting her body in the culvert near their home in Richardson in suburban Dallas.


    There will be separate trials for the parents accused in the death of Sherin, Fox4News.com reported, quoting a ruling by the Dallas County Court on February 4.


    Sini, who was 35 at the time of her arrest, is charged with child abonnement after allegedly leaving Sherin home alone on the night of her death. She faces a sentence that ranges from 2 to 20 years in prison with a fine of up to $ 10,000.


    Her husband, Wesley, 38, at the time of his arrest, is accused of killing the Indian girl, who was adopted from an orphanage in Bihar.


    Wesley charged with felony injury to a child, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison.


    Wesley's trial is now set for April 5 while Sini's trial has been moved up to March 15, the report said.


    The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office which released Sherin's autopsy report listed the cause of death as homicide and the manner as homicidal violence.


    Defense attorneys for Wesley wanted both parents tried together. But Sini's attorneys convinced the judge that they should be tried separately, the report said.


    Both Wesley and Sini are currently lodged in the Dallas County jail. Their four-year-old biological daughter is staying with relatives in Houston.


    Last month, the court denied Sini's plea to further slash her bail amount from $ 100,000 to $ 2,500. Initially, her bond was set at $ 250,000.


    Her legal team requested the $ 100,000 bond amount to be lowered to $ 2,500, the amount typically recommended for someone without a criminal record who is charged with child abandonment.


    Wesley's bail was also lowered from $ 1 million to $500,000 for the capital murder charge, from $ 250,000 to $ 100,000 for tampering with physical evidence, and from $ 1 million to $ 500,000 for injury to a child with serious bodily injury.


    The story of Sherin's whereabouts and her tragic death in 2017 made headlines worldwide.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Pay Fine For Wasting Food At This Eating Joint In Telangana

    Pay Fine For Wasting Food At This Eating Joint In Telangana
    The Kedhari Food Court in Telangana's Warangal penalizes people who leave their plates with half-eaten food.

    Pay Fine For Wasting Food At This Eating Joint In Telangana

    2-Year-Old's Head Was Stuck Between Pillars. Welding Machine Saved Her

    2-Year-Old's Head Was Stuck Between Pillars. Welding Machine Saved Her
      They alerted the railway police, who used a welding machine to cut the pillars without harming the girl and gently eased the child out.  

    2-Year-Old's Head Was Stuck Between Pillars. Welding Machine Saved Her

    Delhi Man Stabbed To Death In Front Of Wife By 'Drunk' Friends: Cops

    Delhi Man Stabbed To Death In Front Of Wife By 'Drunk' Friends: Cops
    The officials of Nangloi police station were alerted at 3.28 am about the incident, a senior police officer said.  

    Delhi Man Stabbed To Death In Front Of Wife By 'Drunk' Friends: Cops

    Girl, 5, Allegedly Burned With Candle By Mother, Aunt In Thane

    Girl, 5, Allegedly Burned With Candle By Mother, Aunt In Thane
    The girl's mother and her paternal aunt were apparently angry with her for playing inside the house and misbehaving, a senior police officer said.  

    Girl, 5, Allegedly Burned With Candle By Mother, Aunt In Thane

    Nurse Throws Acid At Doctor In Tirupati Over Personal Enmity: Police

    Nurse Throws Acid At Doctor In Tirupati Over Personal Enmity: Police
    The nurse had allegedly developed personal enmity towards the doctor after they parted ways from a hospital where they worked together earlier, the police said.  

    Nurse Throws Acid At Doctor In Tirupati Over Personal Enmity: Police

    Fortunate That My Name Didn't Come Out In #MeToo: Shatrughan Sinha

    Fortunate That My Name Didn't Come Out In #MeToo: Shatrughan Sinha
    Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha says behind the troubles and infamy of successful men, there have been mostly women seen in this movement.

    Fortunate That My Name Didn't Come Out In #MeToo: Shatrughan Sinha

    PrevNext