The parents of Sherin Mathews, the Richardson toddler found dead in a culvert in 2017, were in court Monday for standard hearings.
Sini Mathews is accused of leaving 3-year-old Sherin, a child she and her husband Wesley Mathews adopted from an orphanage in India, home alone the night before Sherin was reported missing.
Sherin’s body was discovered two weeks later in a culvert near the couple’s home.
Last week, her attorneys asked the judge to reduce her bond from $100,000 to $2,500. The typical recommended bond amount for the charge of “child abandonment” is $2,500. The judge denied the request.
Sini Mathews has petitioned to have her trial separated from her estranged husband, Wesley Mathews, who is accused of capital murder in the girl's death. The state said both should be tried together because they are accused in the same "criminal episode" and that the witnesses and evidence to be presented are nearly identicial.
A decision on the separation of trials is expected on Feb. 4.
Sini's trial is currently expected to begin April 15; Wesley's trial is expected to start in May.
