A Harris County grand jury has returned four felony murder charges against Jessica Tata, the owner of a daycare where four kids died in a fire.
There had been some question as to whether the grand jury would go for the murder indictments, which require at least some degree of intent, as opposed to limiting the charges to child abandonment or child endangering.
Tata, 23, fled to Nigeria after the February fire. She tried last week to have her $1.1 million bond decreased to $50,000, but was unsuccessful. She pleaded not guilty to all initial charges in the case.
Her attorney is Mike DeGeurin, and in pretrial hearings he’s painted a picture of Tata frantically trying to save the children. The trial should be a dramatic one.
This article appears in May 26 – Jun 1, 2011.