Judge denies defense request to release Massachusetts mother charged with killing her children

In a hearing before a Dedham District Court judge, the lawyer for Janette MacAusland sought dismissal of the murder case and her release on bail, claiming the state lacked adequate proof. MacAusland, a 49-year-old resident of Wellesley, is accused of killing her children, Kai, 7, and Ella, 6, before fleeing to Vermont and attempting suicide, according to court records. Prosecutors highlighted that the medical examiner’s office had not yet issued official determinations of the children’s manners of death.

The judge denied the defense’s motion, ordering that MacAusland remain incarcerated without bail on two counts of first-degree murder. Neither the defense attorney Joseph Krowski nor the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office provided comments at the time of the ruling.