A Massachusetts mother accused of killing her two young children broke down in court Thursday morning, sobbing and visibly shaking after a judge ordered her held without bail.
Janette MacAusland, 49, pleaded not guilty following her arrest on two counts of murder. Police allege she strangled her son and daughter inside the family’s $1.5 million home in an affluent suburb outside Boston.
Kai MacAusland, 7, and Ella MacAusland, 6, died on April 24 at their home in Wellesley, according to police, who said their mother was in the midst of a bitter divorce from the children’s father at the time.
MacAusland appeared handcuffed for the Thursday hearing at Dedham District Court, wearing a red jumpsuit and black glasses.
During the proceedings, the acupuncturist nodded repeatedly, cried and appeared to wince whenever her children were mentioned, at times using her arms to wipe tears from her face.
Her attorney, Joseph Krowski Jr., asked the court to set bail at $25,000, with conditions including around-the-clock GPS monitoring, home confinement and probation supervision.
Krowski argued that MacAusland “should not be deprived of her liberty while they get their act together,” referring to the medical examiner’s office as questions remain over the official cause of the children’s deaths.
“We are really in an intermediate state of limbo,” the defense lawyer added.
Acupuncturist, Janette MacAusland, was seen sobbing in Dedham District Court during her Thursday morning hearing
MacAusland’s lawyer, Joseph Krowski Jr, suggested a $25,000 bail, 24/7 GPS surveillance, home confinement and a probation period
MacAusland will be held without bail. After a conference held yesterday, the Commonwealth said that they needed two more months. The judge granted an additional time of six weeks to move forward
The defense said that they are ready to determine probable cause but the prosecution stated they are not just yet. Krowski Jr asked for it to be dismissed or for the judge to ‘propose a reasonable bail.’
A conference was held yesterday where the Commonwealth said that they needed two more months. The judge granted an additional time of six weeks to move forward.
MacAusland’s lawyer also asked to waive her presence in court on October 29.
During this time MacAusland will be held without bail.
After the hearing, her lawyer said: ‘This is not Lindsay Clancy 2.0.
‘Jeanette MacAusland is her own woman, but there’s been a discussion, a discourse that’s opened up in this country about whether or not we want to criminalize mental illness.’
Krowski Jr further claimed mental health insitutions, legal institutions and criminal justice institutions for ‘failed’ MacAusland.
He also said that he thinks the case could not be decided ‘in this building,’ adding that it should be brought to the Dedham Superior Court.
A funeral for Kai and Ella MacAusland was held in May, weeks after their mother, Janette MacAusland, allegedly killed them
Many recalled the late brother and sister sharing a special and close bond that was very strong
The investigation into the acupuncturist began on April 24, when officers with the Bennington Police Department in Vermont were asked to conduct a welfare check at a nearby residence for a woman who appeared ‘highly distraught,’ the Bennington Police Department said.
Callers reportedly told police she had a visible neck injury with blood, and upon making contact, officers identified the woman as MacAusland.
Officers who attempted to speak with her said they became ‘increasingly concerned’ about the welfare of her children during the interaction, prompting an immediate call back to police near her Massachusetts home.
Wellesley police responded to the home later that evening and made the grisly discovery.
The killings came as MacAusland was in the middle of a turbulent separation from her husband, Sam MacAusland, 62.
Following the children’s deaths, MacAusland drove to her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, where she was arrested and confessed to taking her children’s lives, saying she wanted the three of them ‘to go to God together,’ according to a police report obtained by The Boston Globe.
In October 2025, months before the death of the children, her husband Samuel filed for divorce, citing an ‘irretrievable breakdown,’ according to court documents reviewed by Our News Outlet.
The legal battle included the couple feuding over the custody of their children and who would get control of their three-bed home in recent months.
This is a developing story.
