Desiree Catlett, who is charged with manslaughter in connection with the 2016 death of her infant son, can proceed to a potential second trial with a public defender after action Wednesday morning in Christian Circuit Court.
Her first trial ended with a hung jury and she was represented at the time by Michael Thompson and Alison Mohon. Catlett wants to hire an expert witness for a second trial and both attorneys confirmed their belief Wednesday that she doesn’t have the resources to do so own her own.
Judge John Atkins relieved Mohon and Thompson of their duties in the case, but said Catlett will need to complete an ‘affidavit of indigency’ within the next 30 days if she wants to be represented by the Public Defender’s Office.
Catlett’s nine-month old son fell into a bathtub while being bathed at their Evergreen Park Drive home in October, 2016 and emergency responders arrived to find the infant not breathing. The defense has contended his death was a tragic accident, while the Commonwealth attributes the death to wanton neglect.