SKOWHEGAN, Maine, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A Maine 11-year-old declined to enter a plea to manslaughter charges in relation to a three-month-old baby's death in July.
Kelli Murphy, who was 10 at the time prosecutors said she hit and smothered a newborn, faces juvenile charges and would not be subjected to a jury trial, should legal proceedings reach that stage. Murphy was ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation, MaineToday.com reported.
Prosecutors have declined to release the baby's official cause of death and Murphy was hit with a more serious murder charge, meaning prosecutors do not believe she intended to kill the baby July 7 in Skowhegan, Maine, 50 miles west of Bangor.
If convicted, Judge Charles LaVerdiere said Murphy could be ordered to live in a juvenile detention facility until age 21.
Through her lawyer, Murphy offered no plea, an option available to her under Maine law instead of guilty or not guilty.
