Two caregivers accused in starvation death of 14-year-old girl appear in court
By Daniel Macht, Denzen Cortez
Click here for updates on this story
California (KCRA) — Two caregivers accused of the starvation death of a 14-year-old Live Oak girl with developmental disabilities made their initial court appearance on Thursday.
Megan Fredrick, 33, and 37-year-old Sherwood Johnson II face charges of murder and child abuse causing death, the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office has said.
In January, deputies responded to Rachel Street after receiving reports that the girl, identified by family as Gwen Fredrick, was unresponsive. First responders attempted to save her life, but she died.
The sheriff’s office said Fredrick relied on a feeding tube for nutrition, and her cause of death was determined to be starvation and neglect.
The suspects fled to Washington and were being held in the Spokane County Jail before being returned to Sutter County and booked into the jail. Bail was set at $750,000 each.
On Thursday, no pleas were entered. The arraignment was continued to May.
If the defendants make bail, they would not be allowed to leave the state or perform caregiving.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.