Medical issues may delay arraignment of mother of infant killed in crash
A young mother accused of allowing her 5-month-old daughter to ride unrestrained in a Porsche that crashed in Palm Desert, killing the infant, is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow on murder and child endangerment charges, but the defendant’s medical issues could delay the hearing.
Kristen Leigh Lauer, 23, of Rancho Mirage, and the child’s father, Marcus Green, 52, are accused in the May 1, 2016, death of Armani Green, who was ejected from the sports car when it struck a metal guardrail and crashed down an embankment about 200 feet off state Route 74.
The baby was thrown about 90 feet from the car and pronounced dead at the scene. Lauer and Green were both seriously injured. Green, who was driving the car, has been in custody since last May on murder and child endangerment charges.
Lauer was charged last Thursday with the same counts, and a warrant was issued for her arrest. Her attorney, John Dolan, filed court papers Wednesday asking that her scheduled arraignment in Indio be postponed in light of her continued medical problems stemming from the crash.
In his court papers, Dolan contends that Lauer has been in a wheelchair since the crash, has undergone numerous surgeries for a variety of ailments and has several future surgeries planned.
According to Dolan, Lauer requires round-the-clock care for various injuries, including a brain injury, broken bones, lung damage, herniated discs and spinal trauma. “Ms. Lauer is barely able to walk and remains in severe pain,” Dolan argued in court papers.
Dolan will also seek to have Lauer’s proposed $1 million bail reduced, arguing that she would be unable to afford it and would not receive her needed medical care in jail.”There is no indication that Ms. Lauer is a flight risk and will not continue to cooperate fully,” Dolan wrote.
According to Dolan’s court papers, Lauer is living at her father’s home, where she receives round-the-clock care from her primary physician and other specialists.
