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OGDEN — An Ogden woman accused of killing one of her two twin boys rejected a plea deal Thursday, leading attorneys to set a trial date for her case.
Police say Jewell Hendricks told them she killed her 2-month-old son Robert because having twins was "too much." Hendricks, 26, is charged with murder, a first-degree felony.
She is also charged with child abuse, a class A misdemeanor, for "pinching and grabbing" his twin brother, Daniel, to the point that the child had bruises, police say.
Hendricks' attorney Ryan Bushell requested a trial date Thursday, but told 2nd District Judge Michael DiReda that attorneys on both sides were still working on a plea deal.
"There's been a bit of back and forth, but we're still trying to work out some type of resolution," Bushell said.
But the prosecutor painted a different picture.
"Her attorney is still talking to her about a possible plea deal, but we're not offering something less than to plead guilty to the murder charge," prosecutor Dean Saunders said. "But we may come up with something."
A five-day trial was set for Feb. 14-18, 2011.
Bushell said his client is "doing better every time I see her."
"She's not so scared," he said. "She's adapted to her surroundings, but she's still sad when she thinks about her son. This is a very sad case. A little boy lost his life, and his mother is sitting in jail."
Police testified previously that the Ogden woman said she had killed Robert in an effort to "have a better life." Officers testified that she admitted breaking down and squeezing the boy before rolling his body into a sleeping bag and laying on top of him in an effort to stop his crying.
After Hendricks' arrest, Daniel was taken into the custody of the state Division of Child and Family Services. Hendricks and her husband both relinquished their parental rights, and the boy has since been adopted, Bushell said.
E-mail: emorgan@desnews.com
