The trial of a Troy woman accused of killing her 7-week-old son has been delayed a day because storm damage made it impossible for people to make it to the Belfast courthouse.
A wind storm that swept across Maine Sunday night into Monday morning knocked out power to more than 400,000 Mainers. Downed trees and power lines hindered commutes across the state, including in Waldo County. While downtown Belfast didn’t lose electricity, downed trees and lines prevented some jurors and court employees from getting to the courthouse.
After initially announcing a one-hour delay, the Belfast court officials decided to close for the day.
Miranda Hopkins, 32, of Troy had been scheduled to go on trial Monday morning at Waldo County Superior Court. That trial has been rescheduled to start Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Hopkins is accused of manslaughter in the death of her infant son, Jaxson. She called 911 on Jan. 12 to report that Jaxson wasn’t responsive. A medical examination later determined that Jaxson died of blunt force injuries to the head and suffered extensive bruising, broken ribs, a broken hip and shoulder, according to court documents.
When police first questioned Hopkins, she told investigators she had a couple of shots of whisky with a friend over the course of the afternoon after taking Benadryl earlier in the day. She said she co-slept with the infant and woke up to a “nightmare,” according to court documents. She found the baby cold, unresponsive and covered in bruises.
Hopkins told investigators she must have “blacked out” and couldn’t remember what happened but insisted she didn’t harm Jaxson. She later told police she believed one of her other two sons, both of whom have autism, must have smothered or beaten Jaxson.
Manslaughter is a Class A crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
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