Maya Dennis, a 32-year-old Aberdeen mother, has been denied bail by a Harford County judge after being charged with first-degree murder and child abuse relating to the death of her infant daughter. The Harford County Sheriff's Office was alerted to the child's severe injuries on Sunday, just days before the baby succumbed to her condition on New Year's Eve. Significant injuries noted in the case included skull fractures and brain bleeds.
During yesterday's court session, Judge David E. Carey described the circumstances as an "extreme tragedy" and expressed his opinion that Dennis posed a danger to the public. Assistant public defender Sawyer Hicks, representing Dennis, highlighted that not only had his client been a lifelong state resident without serious convictions, but there was also another adult present in her apartment when the fatal injuries occurred. Yet, details reported by CBS News Baltimore reveal that Dennis and the man both denied having contact with the child when questioned.
Assistant state's attorney Christine Cuomo argued in court that the child's injuries were intentionally inflicted, not accidental, according to WBAL-TV. Charging documents, as they retrieved, also suggest Dennis told police a story of the child being accidentally injured by a sibling. As claimed, bruising around the victim's eyes was attributed to medication taken by the child during her NICU stay.
However, the prosecution contended that these injuries likely did not originate from the NICU, where the child had been cared for immediately after birth, implying negligence after the infant's recent discharge last Monday. Further complicating Dennis's legal troubles is a pending trial set for March for an unrelated theft charge. Cuomo is expecting an indictment on the current charges against Dennis, with additional charges possible pending autopsy results.
