Trial date set for Ill. woman accused of killing boy, 4

JONESBORO, Ill. -- The case against a woman accused of killing her boyfriend's 4-year-old son in 2011 is set for a bench trial Jan. 27.

Sacha Brown, 31, of Jonesboro faces charges of murder, aggravated battery of a child younger than 13 and concealment of a homicidal death in connection with the Dec. 11, 2011, death of 4-year-old Justin Hepburn.

Brown is accused of fracturing the boy's skull, moving his body and placing items near it in an attempt to make his death appear accidental.

At a bond reduction hearing in late December 2011, Brown denied killing the child and said investigators tried to push her into saying she had.

During a pretrial hearing Wednesday, Union County State's Attorney Tyler Edmonds and Brown's attorney, James L. Karraker, agreed the case would be ready to go to trial as scheduled.

The case originally was set for trial in March 2012, but it has been continued several times to allow time for Karraker to review evidence and bring in expert witnesses and for the court to address various motions.

Pertinent address:

Jonesboro, Ill.