BROOKINGS – The jury trial date for two Brookings residents charged in connection with the malnourishment and dehydration death of a 2-year-old girl last summer has been pushed back to Jan. 22, and Brookings County State’s Attorney Dan Nelson says it’s likely to change again.
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BROOKINGS – The jury trial date for two Brookings residents charged in connection with the malnourishment and dehydration death of a 2-year-old girl last summer has been pushed back to Jan. 22, and Brookings County State’s Attorney Dan Nelson says it’s likely to change again.
The couple, Renae Fayant, 25, and Robert Price Jr., 28, was indicted by a Brookings County grand jury Aug. 2. Both are facing felony charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, and abuse or cruelty to a minor under age 7 related to the July 31 death of Fayant’s niece, Esperanza Maria Fayant, who was in their care. Jury trials for both defendants had been set for Nov. 20.
They remain in custody on $100,000 cash-only bond.
Nelson said changes in trial dates are common in cases that involve charges like homicide, simply due to the nature of the case and the amount of work and time attorneys have to put in to do their due diligence.
“Homicide cases take time because the defense is entitled to a lot of different motions in terms of experts and private investigators, working up to trial. And as a result of that, they have to independently review everything that we’ve produced, and that takes several months to do that,” Nelson said.
“So this isn’t unusual. There’s nothing that’s changed in our case. It’s just typical for these types of cases,” he added.
Court documents say Price recently requested and was granted a new attorney. Renae Fayant’s attorneys have requested and were granted motions for a private investigator, a mental health evaluation and a forensic expert, among other motions.
Brookings Police received a 911 call from Renae Fayant that her niece was unresponsive and not breathing July 31, Nelson said in August. The call came in at 3:55 p.m., according to a report from Brookings Police. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nelson said at an August press conference that the girl was living in disturbing conditions, confined to a small area of the home and being deprived of food and water for an extended period of time. Human and animal feces were found throughout the home, he added. Dirty diapers were in the dining room, and rotting food was in the kitchen.
Contact Jill Fier at jfier@brookingsregister.com.
