ATTORNEY MAKES SHOCK BID TO DISMISS CASE AGAINST MASSACHUSETTS MOM ACCUSED OF KILLING HER TWO CHILDREN

Janette MacAusland’s lawyer argued there was not enough information to keep the 49-year-old mother behind bars — but a judge rejected the request and ordered her to remain jailed without bail.

A Massachusetts mother accused of killing her two young children made a dramatic return to court Thursday — where her attorney asked a judge to dismiss the case and release her from custody.

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

She has pleaded not guilty.

But prosecutors have not yet received the official determination of the children’s cause and manner of death from the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, a delay that became a central issue during Thursday’s hearing.

HER ATTORNEY SAID THERE WASN’T ENOUGH INFORMATION

MacAusland’s defense attorney, Joseph Krowski, argued that the state had not provided enough information to justify keeping his client behind bars.

He asked the judge to dismiss the case or, at minimum, allow MacAusland to be released under reasonable bail conditions.

The judge rejected the requests.

MacAusland will remain detained without bail while the case moves forward.

Prosecutors told the court they were still waiting for the medical examiner’s findings and expected the information within the next few weeks.

The probable-cause hearing has now been continued to October 29.

A DISTURBING NIGHT IN VERMONT

The case began attracting national attention after MacAusland allegedly appeared at her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, roughly 140 miles from Wellesley.

According to a Vermont police report cited in court records, MacAusland arrived with injuries to her neck.

Police were called after her aunt became concerned.

MacAusland allegedly told an officer: “I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself.”

She also allegedly said that she wanted the three of them to “go to God together,” according to the report.

Authorities later returned to the family’s Wellesley home, where the two children were found inside a bedroom.

Police dispatch audio reportedly described extensive evidence at the scene.

THE FAMILY’S CUSTODY BATTLE

Behind the criminal case was an increasingly bitter family dispute.

MacAusland and her husband, Samuel, had been married for nine years before he filed for divorce in October 2025.

Court filings indicate that the couple were involved in a custody dispute involving their children and the family home.

A guardian was appointed for the children on April 21 — just three days before their deaths.

The children, Kai and Ella, attended Schofield Elementary School. Kai was in second grade, while Ella was in kindergarten.

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

Now, the case has placed those final days under intense scrutiny.

ANOTHER HIGH-PROFILE MASSACHUSETTS CASE

Thursday’s hearing came only days after a mistrial was declared in another closely watched Massachusetts case involving the deaths of children.

Lindsay Clancy’s trial ended in a jury deadlock after her defense argued that severe postpartum psychosis left her unable to understand the wrongfulness of her actions.

Clancy’s attorney has since asked the court to find her not guilty by reason of insanity rather than proceed directly toward another trial.

MacAusland’s attorney referenced the Clancy case while arguing that the justice system should carefully consider the role of severe mental-health problems in cases involving mothers accused of harming their children.

However, the two cases remain legally separate, and MacAusland’s case has not been resolved.

THE CASE IS STILL DEVELOPING

For now, MacAusland remains behind bars without bail and faces two first-degree murder charges.

The prosecution is still awaiting the medical examiner’s official findings before the case can move further toward a probable-cause determination.

And while the allegations against MacAusland are deeply disturbing, the charges are not findings of guilt.

A court will ultimately have to determine what happened to Kai and Ella — and what, if anything, can legally be proven against their mother.

The next major date is expected to be October 29, when the probable-cause proceedings are scheduled to continue.

Until then, one of Massachusetts’ most closely watched family-crime cases remains unresolved.