WYOMING, Mich. - A court hearing for the Wyoming couple charged in the March dehydration death of their young son has been delayed until mid-August to give their attorneys more time to prepare.
Alexander D. Birkenmeyer, 30, and Andrea M. Todd, 26, appeared in Wyoming District Court Wednesday for a probable cause conference in their felony cases. Each is charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse.
Wyoming District Court Judge Pablo Cortes agreed to adjourn an upcoming preliminary hearing until Aug. 16 to give attorneys for the pair more time to sift through hundreds of pages of documents related to the case.
“That will give both attorneys a chance to go through all this and decide what witnesses they may need, if any,’’ Cortes said.
Birkenmeyer and Todd are each being held on a $750,000 bond.
Investigators say the couple caused the death of their 19-month-old son, Yurik, "by the grossly negligent failure to perform legal duty; failure to provide water.''
His March 16th death comes almost three years to the day the couple lost a two-month-old daughter to what investigators called "unsafe sleep conditions.'' No charges were filed in that case.
In December of 2016, the couple were investigated for improper supervision of Yurik, then an infant, who was left in the care of an eight-year-old, court records show.
The child was placed in foster care after a judge determined the boy was "at substantial risk of harm.''
Yurik Birkenmeyer was returned to his parents in October, 2017 and died five months later.
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