Wellesley Mother Pleads Not Guilty in Children’s Deaths

Janette MacAusland pleaded not guilty on November 3 to two charges alleging first-degree murder for the deaths of her children, six-year-old Ella and seven-year-old Kai. She appeared in Norfolk Superior Court handcuffed and crying during the arraignment. A grand jury indicted her last month. The charges concern the children’s deaths at the family’s Wellesley home in April.

The state medical examiner determined that the children died from mechanical asphyxia and the combined effects of zolpidem, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and lorazepam. Police found their bodies on April 24, after MacAusland had gone to her aunt’s home in Vermont with an injury to her throat. Police accounts say she told authorities she had strangled the children and had also attempted suicide.

MacAusland’s attorney has raised concerns about her mental health history. He said he had recently received about 2,000 pages of evidence and could seek bail later. The judge ordered her held without bail, a request the defense did not oppose.

The judge also temporarily sealed the prosecution’s statement of the case after the defense argued it could unfairly influence potential jurors. The couple were divorcing, and court records show the children’s parents had consented to appointing a guardian to represent the children’s interests. MacAusland’s next court date is December 16; her presence is waived.