NEW JERSEY. (THECOUNT) — Heather Reynolds is accused of suffocating her 17-month-old son by holding a cleaning wipe over his nose and mouth. The mother apparently killed the toddler because he was “getting in the way of her affair,” according to court records.
Reynolds, 41, wept as her attorney denied charges of murdering and endangering her son Axel on May 10 last year. She also is a crystal meth addict.
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Reynolds was remanded in custody at Camden county superior court, New Jersey, pending trial, and could face a life sentence in prison.
“This is an absolutely brutal murder and a helpless victim,” assistant prosecutor Peter Gallagher said reports DailyMail.
He also asserted it would required ‘commitment’ to carry out the killing because of the time it would take.
Her attorney Michael Testa said: ‘She adamantly denies that she has anything to do with the death of her child’.
On May 10 last year police were called to Mrs Reynolds home in Gloucester Township where she was screaming for help while holding the lifeless body of her son.
Little Axel had bruises around its mouth and nose and smelled of alcohol, the prosecutor said.
Emergency crews found the boy on the lawn of the family home.
Medical Examiner Gerald Feigin ruled the death a homicide by asphyxia on June 7 after traces of a substance used in detergents and antiseptics was found in the boy’s body.
Mrs Reynolds was indicted by a grand jury on June 13 after hearing evidence.
Her husband, Joseph, who died in November this year, was away for work when Axel died.
DEVELOPING::
Geo quick facts: New Jersey is a northeastern U.S. state with some 130 miles of Atlantic coast. Jersey City, across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan, is the site of Liberty State Park, where ferries embark for nearby Ellis Island, with its historic Immigration Museum, and the iconic Statue of Liberty. The Jersey Shore includes notable resort towns like historic Asbury Park and Cape May, with its preserved Victorian buildings – wikipedia.