Slain infants brothers, ages 6 and 8, were capable of killing, defense team argues
This truly is a heartbreaking story. I am making no accusations. but i feel for the mom. no mention of father-husband and or social services. But there is a dead infant. 
Slain infant’s brothers, ages 6 and 8, were capable of killing, defense team argues
http://bangordailynews.com/2017/11/02/news/midcoast/slain-infants-brothers-ages-6-and-8-were-capable-of-killing-defense-team-argues/
By Nick McCrea, BDN Staff • November 2, 2017 6:59 pm
Courtesy of Waldo County Jail | BDN
Miranda Hopkins
BELFAST, Maine — Attorneys representing a mother of a slain infant tried to cast doubt on who was responsible, arguing that the mother wasn’t the only person in the house capable of beating the infant to death.
The defense called its first few witnesses to testify on the trial’s third day as prosecutors rested their case in the manslaughter trial of Miranda Hopkins, who is accused of killing her 7-week-old son, Jaxson, inside the family’s cluttered trailer in Troy last January.
Hopkins has two older sons, who were ages 6 and 8 at the time of Jaxson’s death. Both shared a bedroom at the opposite end of the trailer from Hopkins’ room, where she co-slept with Jaxson. Both older boys are severely autistic and nonverbal. They communicate through noises like grunts and moans. Police tried to interview the older brother, who is capable of some communication using a tablet application, but didn’t make any headway, according to investigators.
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The defense also tried to make the case that the two older boys could have been capable of causing the serious injuries to the infant. Both are considered obese for their age, with the 8-year-old weighing about 90 pounds. The Bangor Daily News is not identifying the children because they are juveniles and aren’t charged with any crimes.
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Hopkins said she woke up early on the morning of Jan. 12, reached over and felt her youngest son’s cold, lifeless body. She said she didn’t remember what happened after she went to bed that night, but said one of the older boys must have climbed over or opened the 3-foot childproof gate at her bedroom door, gotten on the bed and jumped on or beaten Jaxson without her noticing anything. She believed it was most likely the oldest boy, because he was sleeping on the living room couch rather than his bed that morning.
Prosecutors believe Hopkins was overtired and frustrated after caring for a young baby and two severely disabled children, and took her aggressions out on her 7-week-old son................................
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