Posted by Chinenye on Fri 11th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng
A Massachusetts mother accused of killing her two young children will remain behind bars as the case moves forward.
(Janette MacAusland. Photo Credit: The Boston Globe)
A woman accused of killing her two young children will remain in jail without bail after a judge rejected her lawyer's request to release her.
Janette MacAusland faces two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of her 7-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter.
Her lawyer argued on Thursday that there wasn't enough evidence to keep her locked up, but the judge disagreed.
According to prosecutors, MacAusland strangled both children before leaving Massachusetts and driving to her aunt's house in Vermont.
When she arrived, her aunt noticed she had a large cut on her throat.
MacAusland then confessed, saying she wanted the three of them to go to God together, but it didn't work.
While holding a family holiday photograph, she told her aunt, "I strangled them, and then I tried to kill myself."
MacAusland has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Vermont prosecutors told the court they're still waiting for the official cause and manner of death from the medical examiner's office.
She is expected to be extradited to Massachusetts to face trial.
For now, she remains in custody.