Baby-death trial set for January
- A Muncie man charged in the death of his infant son received a Jan. 25 trial date Monday.
- Cory Michael Wallace faces charges including neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
- Judge Marianne Vorhees set bond for Wallace — who entered not-guilty pleas — at $180,000.
- Wallace is also accused of probation violations stemming from a Marion County neglect conviction.
MUNCIE – A father accused of causing his 5-month-old son’s death made his first related court appearance on Monday, receiving a Jan. 25 trial date.
Authorities allege Cory Michael Wallace failed to seek medical attention for his son, Jensen, after dropping the baby onto a hardwood floor in their family’s Meeker Avenue home on Feb. 10.
After later determining the baby had died — of brain injuries, an autopsy would show — Wallace set fires in the infant’s bedroom in a bid to cover up the cause of death, according to court documents.
Wallace — arrested Aug. 7 — made his initial appearance Monday morning in Delaware Circuit Court 1, and told Judge Marianne Vorhees he would require the services of a public defender.
The judge granted that request, and also set Wallace’s bond at $180,000.
Wallace said he had not yet reviewed the charges against him — neglect of a dependent resulting in death, battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person less than 14 years of age, arson, battery on a person less than 14 years old, and obstruction of justice.
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The judge responded by asking Delaware County Chief Trial Deputy Prosecutor Eric Hoffman to read the charges aloud in court.
Public defender Ron Smith — representing Wallace at Monday’s hearing — told Vorhees the defendant wished to plead not guilty to all charges.
Hoffman said authorities in Marion County — where Wallace was convicted of neglect of a dependent in January — have now formally accused the ex-Muncie resident of probation violations in that case.
The Marion County prosecution stemmed from injuries suffered, in 2012, by another baby boy fathered by Wallace.
Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.