A judge denied a Massachusetts mother's request for a lower bail as she awaits trial in the death of her 3-year-old son.
Jennifer Prudencio, 25, of Chelsea, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment after her son, Yael Guardado Prudencio, was found unresponsive inside their Spencer Avenue apartment on April 7.
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Prudencio pleaded not guilty last week and was ordered held on $100,000 bail.
Prosecutors say Prudencio knew her son was sick, but left him without adult supervision overnight anyway.
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"Specifically, the defendant was aware that her 3-year-old child was sick in the week leading up to his death. Generally, the child suffered from a seizure disorder and hemophilia and had been vomiting blood in the days before he died," Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Audrey Mark said in court Wednesday. "He had also fallen while having a seizure, and had a bleeding wound to his face which was not properly healing."
Prosecutors said Prudencio sought medical care for her son twice in the week before his death.
"On the evening of Saturday, April 6, 2024, the child vomited again. The child also appeared pale, according to the defendant," Mark said. "Despite being aware that something was seriously, medically wrong with her child, the defendant left that child in the care of her two other children, who are 7 and 8 years old."
Authorities accuse Prudencio of drinking for hours at a Revere bar before staying at her boyfriend's house in Somerville.
"At some point during that night, your honor, the alleged victim's 8-year-old brother sent a text to their mother expressing concern for the well-being of his brother, the alleged victim, and actually attaching a video of the alleged victim," Mark said. "The defendant told her 8-year-old son she'd be home soon."
Prudencio arrived home at 10 a.m. the next morning and found her son dead, prosecutors said. She allegedly acknowledged to police that she was aware of her son's serious medical issues before leaving him overnight.
Prudencio's attorney, Peter Marano, requested bail be lowered from $100,000 to $10,000.
"Not making any excuse for what the commonwealth is alleging, however, $100,000, in my client's case, is akin to absolutely no bail," Marano said. "That is a violation of the declaration of rights, the Eighth Amendment."
The judge denied the motion to lower bail without prejudice, telling the defense that it is free to bring the request "back before the court when we have, perhaps, a little bit greater clarity as to where this case is going."
Prudencio's bail includes conditions that she stay away from and have no contact with witnesses in the case, have no unsupervised contact with children under 16, and adhere to GPS monitoring.
She is due back in court on May 2 for a probable cause hearing.
