BALTIMORE _ A Baltimore woman convicted eight years ago of beating her child into a coma _ and who is facing new charges following his death _ was ordered held without bond Tuesday by a Circuit Court judge.
Judge Cynthia H. Jones ruled that "no bail is appropriate" for Tamekia Martin, 36, who was charged in March with child abuse resulting in death and manslaughter in the 2014 death of her son Damaud.
The hearing was conducted entirely at the bench, but a reporter was able to hear Jones' hushed ruling after a sheriff's deputy turned off an air conditioner.
Jones could be overheard saying the state was not opposed to bail for Martin. Her defense attorney asked that she be released on her own recognizance and be placed on pretrial supervision.
Martin was sentenced to 15 years, with all but time served suspended, after entering an Alford plea in 2009 to charges of child abuse resulting in severe physical injury after her 3-year-old son suffered brain trauma. An Alford plea allows someone to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that the state has enough evidence for a conviction.
She successfully completed three years of probation, and according to her mother had moved on with her life. She has maintained that she did not injure her son, writing to the judge in her first case in 2013 to say she was wrongly charged.
The boy remained in poor condition due to his injuries, and was placed into a state-run group home where he died in 2014 at age 10. An autopsy concluded that Damaud's death was a result of his injuries suffered in 2008.
Baltimore Police re-investigated the case, and with approval from prosecutors filed new charges against Martin.
