An acupuncturist mother accused of strangling her two young children at the family’s $1.5 million New England home during a bitter divorce case broke down in court Tuesday as she pleaded not guilty to their murders.
Janette MacAusland, 49, sobbed throughout her arraignment, keeping her head bowed and her eyes closed while appearing in handcuffs at Norfolk Superior Court, according to the Boston Globe.
MacAusland was indicted last month on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the April deaths of her seven-year-old son, Kai, and six-year-old daughter, Ella, at the family’s home in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Autopsy findings determined that the siblings died from strangulation and the combined effects of several substances, including zolpidem, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and lorazepam.
After the hearing, defense attorney Joseph Krowski Jr. highlighted MacAusland’s extensive history of mental health difficulties and treatment.
‘She’s broken,’ he told the Boston Globe. ‘You saw that today in the courtroom.’
When asked whether he planned to pursue an insanity defense, Krowski said every option remained under consideration. He referenced the Lindsay Clancy case and the broader debate over women’s mental health care.
‘Janette MacAusland spent her life as a healer and a nurturer, so we have to ask ourselves, ‘How does someone get accused of this? What went wrong?” he said.
The acupuncturist mother accused of strangling her two young children at their $1.5 million New England home during a bitter divorce case broke down in court as she pleaded not guilty to their murders
Janette MacAusland, 49, sobbed through her Tuesday afternoon arraignment, keeping her head bowed and her eyes closed
MacAusland was indicted last month on two first-degree murder charges in the April deaths of her seven-year-old son, Kai, and six-year-old daughter, Ella
Autopsy findings showed that the siblings died from strangulation and the combined effects of several substances
‘We have to start addressing these problems before these tragedies occur.’
If convicted of first-degree murder, MacAusland could receive a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Judge Peter B. Krupp ordered that she remain held without bail. Her attorney did not object, although Krowski said he could seek bail after examining about 2,000 pages of evidence recently provided by prosecutors.
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The judge also approved a defense request to temporarily seal the prosecution’s statement of the case. Krowski argued that the document was ‘nothing more than a glorified press release’ and included details seemingly ‘designed to elicit a visceral response’ from potential jurors.
MacAusland is due back in court on December 16, though her attorney has asked that she be excused from attending.
MacAusland allegedly strangled her children before fleeing to her aunt’s home in Vermont, where police arrested her on April 24.
According to police, she arrived distraught and had a visible injury to her neck. She then told her aunt that she had killed Kai and Ella.
Investigators later said MacAusland told them she had planned for herself and the children ‘to go to God together.’
She allegedly strangled Kai and Ella (pictured) to death on April 24 before fleeing to her aunt’s home in Vermont, where police arrested her
She confessed to killing her children, saying she had planned for herself and the children ‘to go to God together’
According to court documents previously obtained by Our News Outlet, she and the children’s father, Samuel MacAusland, were embroiled in a bitter divorce over custody and control of the three-bedroom New England home (pictured)
Samuel filed for divorce in October 2025, and the couple agreed at a May 5 hearing that never took place to appoint a court-appointed guardian to represent the children
MacAusland also acknowledged driving to Vermont’s Quechee Gorge Bridge, where she intended to jump to her death but ultimately could not go through with it.
At the time of the killings, MacAusland and her estranged husband, Samuel, were engaged in a bitter divorce dispute over custody of their children and control of their three-bedroom family home, according to court documents previously obtained by Our News Outlet.
Samuel filed for divorce in October 2025, and the couple had agreed to have a court-appointed guardian represent Kai and Ella at a hearing set for May 5.
The children were killed before the scheduled hearing took place.
Before the marriage deteriorated, MacAusland frequently praised Samuel on social media, describing him as a devoted husband and father to their two children.
