OVIEDO, Fla. — A third medical opinion is making things more complicated for investigators as they try to convict an Oviedo mother for allegedly strangling her 18-month-old daughter with Halloween lights.
Mia Depasquale was found dead in December 2016. Now medical professionals can't agree on how the little girl died.
The original medical examiner called the toddler’s death a homicide, blaming it on her mother, Kristen Depasquale. A second called it an accident and blamed it on the girl’s 2-year-old brother.
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The third opinion sees two options: That Mia was deliberately killed, or that she died accidentally when she hanged herself with the Halloween lights.
Read: Mother accused of strangling infant with holiday lights leaves jail for 1st time since 2016
“This is a nightmare case for the state. This is a very good case for the defense,” said WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer.
After reviewing that third report, the state wrote, "The planter that the lights were around [was] not sufficient to support the weight of the victim sufficient for hanging."
Prosecutors point to the doctor's contention that it is "reasonable to conclude that Mia died at the hands of another person."
That report could face a challenge during a potential trial. It was written by Dr. Evan Matches, whose work in Canada came under fire for alleged inaccuracies in 2012 in a case that was ultimately dropped.
Matches told Channel 9 it was nothing more than a vicious attempt at character assassination and that he sued the Canadian government.
A judge has not ruled on any of the new findings yet. Depasquale is due in court Nov. 8.
Cox Media Group
