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Farmington • A Utah mother accused of lying to police as they investigated her 2-year-old son's alleged beating death was in court Monday, where she decided she did not want to have a preliminary hearing in her case.
Jasmine Ruth Bridgeman, 23, is charged in 2nd District Court with second-degree felony obstruction of justice, while her boyfriend, 35-year-old Joshua Scott Schoenenberger, faces a charge of first-degree felony aggravated murder.
Schoenenberger is accused of fatally beating James "JJ" Sieger Jr. on May 9, after the man became frustrated over failed potty training.
The couple were due in court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors would present evidence and a judge would decide whether there is probable cause for their cases to move forward to trial.
On Monday, Bridgeman waived her right to that hearing. She will be back in court on Jan. 25 for a disposition hearing.
Shoenenberger's preliminary hearing, however, is still scheduled for Thursday, according to court records.
Charging documents say Schoenenberger admitted to police that he intentionally stepped on the boy's stomach — but claimed he did not mean to hurt him — because the boy had angered him by "repeatedly urinating and defecating throughout the house."
Along with the aggravated murder charge — which could carry the death penalty — Schoenenberger is charged with second-degree felony child abuse.
The defendant was charged with aggravated murder under "Shelby's Law," a 2007 statute that allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty if a child dies during an act of abuse, sexual assault or kidnapping — even if the defendant does not intend to kill the victim.
Prosecutors have until 60 days after the arraignment following the preliminary hearing to declare whether they will seek the death penalty for Schoenenberger.
On May 9, the couple brought the unresponsive boy to the emergency room at Layton's Davis Hospital.
The boy's mother told doctors the child had been left unattended in a bathtub for approximately five minutes and was found facedown in the water.
Doctors, however, found no sign of fluid in the boy's airway, charges state.
The boy was rushed to Primary Children's Hospital, where doctors determined that he had suffered "severe internal injuries" caused by "blunt force trauma" to his abdomen, charges state.
He died two days later.
At the time of the alleged crime, the couple had lived together for about four months, according to charges.