Nearly six months after the first trial was called off, a Strathroy couple will return to court on Monday to face a new trial in the scalding death of a toddler.
Amanda Dumont, 30, and Scott Bakker, 27, face charges in the death of Ryker Daponte-Michaud.
Ryker was just 20 months old when he died of dehydration and shock on May 21, 2014.
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The toddler was badly burned days prior by a scalding cup of coffee at his Strathroy home on Penny Lane.
He suffered third-degree burns from his waist to the top of his legs, including his genitals, back, thighs and buttocks.
Dumont and Bakker face a joint charge of criminal negligence causing death and separate charges of failing to provide the necessaries of life.
The original trial was several weeks in when Dumont, the toddler’s mother, fell ill with appendicitis in early December.
She underwent surgery but was unable to participate so a mistrial was declared.
A new trial is expected to last four to five weeks and will be heard by judge alone.
One of the reasons both the defence and the Crown sought a trial by judge alone is because days after the mistrial was declared, one of the female jurors died by suicide.
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