21-year-old Carla Montoya was in Madison County Court Tuesday, charged with killing her four-year-old daughter, Caylee Hoehne.
Montoya admitted to police that she had thrown her daughter on a bed several times, in an affidavit Montoya said, “that the last time she "tossed" Caylee into bed, she was very upset. She said that she grabbed Caylee around her torso and squeezed, and then threw her into her bed, Carla said that when she threw her to the bed she believed.that Caylee may have hit her head on the wall, or the bed frame."
Caylee Hoehne was taken to Faith Reginald West ER on March 12, and then later life-f lighted to Children's Hospital in Omaha where she died on Sunday, doctors said she had a skull fracture.
Montoya’s was in court to change her charges from child abuse resulting in injury to intentional child abuse resulting in death.
“It is emotional, you saw the family members there, it's a very sad case, I just got done talking with them and I know how sad they are,” said Madison county attorney Joe Smith.
He said the new charges are more serious, and Montoya's bond was set at half a million and must be posted in court.
“Bond stayed the same, the only thing that changed is if bond is posted it has to be posted in district court, if bond is posted in open court, it means the state has the opportunity to argue for conditions or higher bond.”
Several family members were at the courthouse, all declined to talk on camera. Smith said this is a hard time for all of them, “the family members I talked to, I talked to quite a few of them, they are doing ok under the circumstances, and their lives are devastated.”
Montoya will have a preliminary hearing on April 7th.
