Miami mom pleads not guilty to drowning son in canal
Updated 5:15 pm CDT, Friday, June 12, 2020
MIAMI (AP) A Miami woman accused of drowning her 9-year-old autistic son in a canal pleaded not guilty to murder charges at a Friday hearing.
An attorney for Patricia Ripley, 45, entered the plea during a video-conference arraignment. Ripley faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated child abuse and filing a false police report.
Prosecutors have filed a notice to seek a grand jury indictment for first-degree murder, but grand juries have been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. Under Florida law, only someone who is indicted by a grand jury can receive the death penalty.
Ripley first claimed she was ambushed May 21 by two black men, Miami-Dade police said. The mother said they demanded drugs and took her cellphone, tablet and son, before fleeing, prompting an Amber Alert in the area south of Miami. Alejandro Ripley was autistic and nonverbal.
More:
https://www.chron.com/news/article/Miami-mom-pleads-not-guilty-to-drowning-son-in-15336951.php