On Tuesday, a judge denied a bond reduction in the case of a Tennessee woman who allegedly suffocated her 7-month-old daughter in March.
Soniemy Benitez Melendez, 18, was arrested on March 30, two days after Blount County police responded to her home amid reports of an unresponsive child who was later pronounced dead. Melendez admitted to putting a pacifier in her daughter’s mouth before securing it with a blanket and bandana, which she then used to tie over the baby’s face, according to The Daily Times.
An autopsy confirmed the infant girl asphyxiated. Investigators believe the bandana Melendez tied over her daughter’s face blocked her airway, killing her.
Melendez, who has no prior criminal history, is charged with criminal homicide. Defense attorneys requested a bond reduction. Prosecutors did not ask the judge to increase Melendez’s $500,000 bond, according to The Daily Times.
Blount County General Sessions Judge Robert Headrick ruled that Melendez’s bond will remain at $500,000. She is due back in court on September 12.
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[Featured image: Soniemy Benitez Melendez/Blount County Sheriff’s Office]
