“NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION TO KEEP HER BEHIND BARS” — LAWYER MAKES SHOCK BID TO DISMISS CASE AGAINST MASSACHUSETTS MOM

JANETTE MACAUSLAND’S ATTORNEY ASKED A JUDGE TO DISMISS THE CASE AND RELEASE HER WITHOUT BAIL — DESPITE POLICE RECORDS DETAILING AN ALLEGED CONFESSION

A Massachusetts mother accused of killing her two young children has made a dramatic new move in court, with her attorney asking a judge to dismiss the case and release her from custody.

Janette MacAusland, 49, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the April deaths of her children, 7-year-old Kai and 6-year-old Ella.

On Thursday, September 10, defense attorney Joseph Krowski argued that there was not enough information to justify keeping MacAusland behind bars.

The judge rejected the request.

MacAusland remains jailed without bail and has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

A SHOCKING ALLEGED STATEMENT

The case took a dramatic turn after MacAusland reportedly appeared at her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, roughly 140 miles from her Massachusetts residence.

According to a Vermont police report cited by The New York Post, MacAusland arrived with wounds to her neck.

Police say she allegedly told an officer:

“I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself.”

She allegedly also said she wanted the three of them to “go to God together” but that it had not worked.

Those statements are contained in police records and form part of the prosecution’s case. They have not been tested at trial.

POLICE FIND TWO CHILDREN AT THE FAMILY HOME

After MacAusland’s aunt contacted authorities, Wellesley police went to the family’s home.

There, officers found Kai and Ella inside a bedroom.

According to dispatch audio previously cited in court reporting, police described seeing extensive blood evidence inside the home.

The children were students at Schofield Elementary School, with Kai in second grade and Ella in kindergarten.

Prosecutors are still awaiting the medical examiner’s official determination of the children’s manner and cause of death, according to the latest court proceedings.

A FAMILY ALREADY CAUGHT IN A BITTER CUSTODY FIGHT

In the months before the children’s deaths, MacAusland and her husband, Samuel, were involved in a difficult divorce and custody dispute.

Samuel filed for divorce in October 2025 after nine years of marriage.

Court filings show he was seeking custody of the children and the family home.

The custody dispute continued into 2026.

A guardian was appointed for the children on April 21 — just three days before their deaths, according to court records cited by The Post.

That timeline has become an important part of the broader picture surrounding the case, although it does not by itself establish a motive.

WHO IS JANETTE MACAUSLAND?

MacAusland worked as an acupuncturist at New England Integrated Health.

People who knew the family previously described her as a loving and devoted mother.

Publicly available images of the family had portrayed what appeared to be an ordinary family life before the events of April.

Now, prosecutors allege a very different and devastating final chapter unfolded inside the family’s Massachusetts home.

MacAusland’s defense, however, is challenging the legal basis for continuing to hold her.

Her attorney has argued that there is insufficient information to justify her continued detention and has urged authorities to reconsider how the case is being handled.

THE JUDGE SAYS SHE WILL REMAIN IN CUSTODY

The latest defense request was denied.

MacAusland will remain behind bars without bail while the case proceeds.

The two first-degree murder charges remain pending, and the prosecution has not yet taken the case to trial.

That means the allegations against MacAusland have not been proven in court.

The medical examiner’s final findings could also become significant as prosecutors continue building their case.

QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN

The case now raises a series of unanswered questions.

What happened inside the family home on April 24?

What led to the deaths of Kai and Ella?

How will the custody dispute factor into the prosecution’s theory of the case?

And could MacAusland’s defense eventually argue that her mental state played a central role in what happened?

For now, none of those questions has a final answer.

MacAusland remains accused of two counts of first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.

The next stages of the case could reveal more about what happened to two young children whose lives ended amid a bitter family dispute — and a criminal investigation that is still unfolding.