Patricia Brown’s retrial over 2003 death of stepson will start in October
The retrial of a local woman accused in the death of her husband's son death 20 years ago will continue later this year.
Patricia Brown will return for her new trial in October for a trial readiness conference. The jury trial is set to begin in November.
Check Out our Patricia Brown section for more on our coverage
Patrica and her husband Derrick were first charged with murder in 2003 after the death of two-year-old Deetrick Brown.
Following a preliminary hearing, that judge ruled that there wasn't enough evidence to proceed to trial.
A decade later, the Riverside County District Attorney's office and the Sheriff's department re-examined the case and submitted new evidence that resulted in the refiling of charges against the Browns. They were re-arrested on Jan. 16, 2013 -- 10 years to the day after the boy's death.
Derreick was eventually acquitted again, but Patricia was convicted of second-degree murder in 2016.
The Brown family continued to proclaim Patricia's innocence in the case.
She was freed from jail in 2018 after a judge granted her a new trial after ruling that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient for a conviction.
"The weight of the evidence supports the conclusion that Deetrick was not a normal, healthy child long before he came into the care of the Browns," Judge Evans said in March.
The day before Deetrick's death, he suffered a seizure that was caused by "acute and chronic abusive head trauma," according to a declaration prepared in support of an arrest warrant.
The seizure was one of several that the toddler suffered between November 2002 and January 2003, despite not having a pre-existing medical condition, according to the declaration, which also cited bruises, a burn on the child's hand and malnourishment.
News Channel 3's John White took an in-depth look at the case earlier this year.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this case.
