Monday, August 6th:
*Final Pretrial Hearing (@ 9am CT) - MI - Gabrielle "Gabby" Barrett (4) (Jan. 1, 2018 died due to severe burns) – only for *Brad Edward Fields (28) BF charged (1/20/18) with 4 counts: felony murder, 2nd degree murder, 1st degree child abuse & torture. 5/11/18 charged with conspiracy to commit 1st degree child abuse and conspiracy to commit 2nd degree child abuse charges. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. BF was found competent to stand trial in April, 2018 hearing.
Trial was to start 8/13/18 cancelled moved to 9/11/18.
7/13/18 Update: Hearing for today was reset to 7/26/18; trial for 8/13 has been cancelled. Hearing on 8/13 reset to 8/6. Trial starts 9/11/18.
7/26/18 Update: Final pretrial hearing on 8/6. Trial still on for 9/11.
*Candice Renea Diaz (24) "mom" charged (1/20/18) with 4 counts: felony murder, 2nd degree murder, 1st degree child abuse & torture. 5/11/18 charged with conspiracy to commit 1st degree child abuse and conspiracy to commit 2nd degree child abuse charges. Plead not guilty. Held without bond.
6/28/18 Update: Next hearing (re weapons & drug possession 7/26, postponed from 5/18). No update as of 7/27 re murder charges.7/26/18 Hearing is for weapons & drug possession NOT Murder charges.
7/26/18 Update: 7/26/18 hearing continued to August 23rd for weapons/drug charges.
8/2/18 Update: After two competency examinations for Diaz — one by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Center for Forensic Psychiatry, the other by a doctor retained by her attorney David Cripps — the defendant was deemed mentally able to stand trial, Cripps said during Wednesday's hearing. Chief Judge Tina Brooks Green ordered a Sept. 4 preliminary examination. (For murder charges)
State officials have begun legal proceedings to sever the couple's parental rights to Diaz's other daughter and Gabrielle's half-sister. A hearing on the state's petition was on Jan. 25, 2018 in Wayne County Circuit Court. A trial date to sever parental rights was supposed to be on April 24 through May 4, 2018. This was cancelled due to psych evaluation for Diaz. The state's court petition also said both Diaz and Fields have criminal histories. Diaz is on probation for 2016 convictions for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of prescription forms. Fields has convictions for interfering with a police investigation, third-degree retail fraud and carrying a concealed weapon. Magistrate DiSanto entered not guilty pleas for them and marked their files as mental health so they can receive mental health services in custody on Jan. 20, 2018.