New Haven, Ind. — On Jan. 27 emergency workers found 2-year-old Jocelyn Belcher wrapped in a blanket and cold to the touch in her home.
She had been dead for at least two hours from a hemorrhage in her neck, and had injuries consistent with abuse, said the Journal Gazette.
Her mother Crystal Belcher was arrested and charged with neglect.
Now, Belcher is saying she didn’t mean to hurt her daughter.
Her attorney, Samuel Bolinger, said at the time of the child’s death Belcher was engaged in lawful conduct, and didn’t act with criminal negligence.
In her trail, which begins Jan. 15, she’ll rely on a “defense of accident/inadvertence” said the Gazette.
Shane Patton, Belcher’s boyfriend, has also been charged with neglect. He was arrested in October after being on the run for 10 months.
(Photo: Fort Wayne Police Department)
