Inset: Matthew Maison (Justice for Matthew Facebook Group). Background, left to right: Amanda Maison and Maurice Houle (St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office).
A Michigan mother, aged 33, has confessed to the murder of her 3-year-old son after years of alleged abuse by both her and her boyfriend, according to authorities. The tragic case involves Amanda Mae Maison, who on Wednesday acknowledged her guilt in the second-degree murder of little Matthew Maison, an incident that took place in 2018, as confirmed by officials.
In a statement from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, it was revealed that Maison has entered a plea agreement with prosecutors. This agreement not only involves her guilty plea but also obliges her to offer “truthful testimony” against her former partner, Maurice Houle, who faces a first-degree murder charge in an impending trial. The details of the case were shared through a news release on social media.
During Wednesday’s plea hearing, Maison confessed to a two-year relationship with Houle that lasted from early 2016 until Matthew’s death. She admitted that Houle was physically abusive towards Matthew throughout their relationship, and she was complicit in hiding the child’s injuries from Child Protective Services and law enforcement from 2016 through to the 2018 murder inquiry, according to the release.
Moreover, Maison admitted in her plea that she not only “willfully” permitted the abusive atmosphere but also actively participated in it. She recounted to the court an incident where she “pushed Matthew’s head into a wall in their home, during a ‘military time out,'” as detailed in the release.
Post-hearing, Maison’s bond was revoked, and she was taken into custody at the St. Clair County Jail, where she will remain until her sentencing. The charge of second-degree murder potentially carries a life sentence.
Sheriff Mat King expressed gratitude towards law enforcement, family members, and others involved in the case, stating, “Matthew is finally beginning to get the justice he deserves. The dedication to this case is unmatched. Although this is not the end, I am confident justice will be served.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, Matthew was found dead by his mother in his bed inside the family’s Port Huron Township home on Feb. 18, 2018.
During a preliminary hearing in April, prosecutors told the court that Matthew suffered “years of abuse at the hands of both defendants.”
The detective who first headed up the investigation into Matthew’s death took the stand during the April hearing, testifying that when he went to the Maison residence on the day of Matthew’s death, he noticed that the child had visible injuries, including bruises and a black eye. Soon after, he discovered that Matthew’s grandfather had previously reported Maison and Houle to Child Protective Services (CPS).
The incident involving CPS occurred after Maison claimed she saw Houle physically abuse Matthew because the child spilled some food. She reportedly told her father what she had witnessed, and he called CPS. However, when authorities arrived at the Maison home, the mother retracted her story and cut off ties with her father.
The detective testified that when he interviewed Houle in 2018, the defendant initially claimed that Maison was the one who dealt with disciplining Matthew and the biological child of the two defendants. But under further questioning, the detective said Houle did admit that he sometimes punished Matthew by making the child do “military time-outs,” which involved kneeling in front of a wall with his hands on his head.
Prosecutors say Matthew was subjected to punishments that included “being placed in timeout on his knees where his head would be banged off the drywall.”
The detective who took over the case earlier this year testified that when Maison and Houle were interviewed in April 2025, they both claimed to have witnessed the other attempt to smother Matthew with a pillow.
Maison also alleged that Houle had killed her son and even asked her to “take the fall” for him to keep him out of prison.
The judge said he would allow prosecutors to admit testimonial evidence that when Matthew was still alive, Maison became pregnant with her third child, but the couple mutually decided to have an abortion. Despite wanting another shared child, the couple allegedly decided they could not afford the additional expense.
District Court Judge John Monaghan overruled objections from Maison’s defense attorney, reasoning that any prejudice against the defendants was outweighed by the evidence that Maison and Houle wanted another child and that Matthew was an impediment to that happening.
Prosecutors further asserted that the couple had a “plan” to “kill Matthew to make room for a child the two of them could have together.”
“Over the last seven years, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office has been unwavering in its commitment to bring justice for Matthew,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Many detectives have had a part in keeping this case moving forward, continuously working to gather the evidence necessary for an arrest, trial, and conviction.”
