2 years, 7 months ago by Scott Hardy
Aushena Warren avoids death penalty with plea agreement
A former Quincy woman, accused of murder in her young son's death in June 2017 in suburban Kansas City, has pleaded Guilty to lesser charges and will avoid the death penalty.
Aushena Warren was in Platte County, Missouri Circuit Court Friday. Records show she pleaded Guilty to counts of 2nd Degree Murder and 1st Degree Assault, as part of a settlement with prosecutors. In return, they dropped counts of 1st Degree Murder and Felony Abandonment of a corpse. Warren was charged in the death of her 8-year old son Audrick. Prosecutors had earlier said they would seek the death penalty against Warren. The Associated Press reported that they do intend to seek a life sentence. Warren's lawyers had planned to rely on a trial defense of mental disease, saying that at the time of the alleged crimes, Warren wasn't responsible for her actions. After her arrest, Warren allegedly told authorities she was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, and that she wasn't on her medication. A probable cause statement says that Warren was worried about the family's finances, and feared her children would be taken away.
Warren remains in the Platte County Jail, and will be sentenced November 2nd.
