The ongoing saga of Patricia Ripley, the Miami-Dade mother who confessed to the 2020 drowning of her autistic 9-year-old son. Took another turn in court earlier today, as she was assigned a new judge, as reported by NBC Miami. Ripley faces a slew of charges including first-degree murder, the trial is now overseen by Associate Administrative Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez, with proceedings projected to commence in 2025.
Despite the extensive delays partly due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ripley entered a plea of not guilty during a brief arraignment via video conference; her attorney, Susy Ribero-Ayala, declared her client's plea and requested discovery, according to Local10. The court previously referenced surveillance footage, which allegedly captures Ripley pushing her son Alejandro into a canal at the Kendall Acres Condominium complex this, before succeeding at a different location later that evening.
In a harrowing series of events, police said that Ripley initially tried to drown her son behind a housing complex, yet witnesses intervened to save the boy; her second attempt at a golf course canal later that night, was unfortunately successful, leading to the discovery of Alejandro's body on May 22, according to police statements obtained by NBC Miami.
Ripley's case initially gained national attention when she reported an abduction incident to police, claiming a man had forced her off the road and demanded drugs before taking her son and a tablet—an account she later recanted the fabrication resulted in additional felony charges including child abuse and filing a false crime report Ripley remains jailed without bond, yet a date for grand jury presentation remains indeterminate, as reported by Local10.
