Detroit mother accused of killing, burying her son will undergo competency examination
A Detroit mother accused of killing and burying her son will undergo a competency examination.
Brandee Katrice Pierce, 41, is accused of fatally assaulting her son, Zemar King, in October 2024 and burying him in the backyard of their rental property in Detroit. Zemar's body was found on Jan. 6, 2025, after a landlord who was renovating the home discovered a shallow grave.
Pierce is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree child abuse, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of an individual.
On Thursday, Pierce's attorneys requested that she be referred for a competency examination. Pierce's preliminary examination was then canceled. A review is now scheduled for May 13.
Prosecutors allege that two weeks after the murder, Pierce left Detroit with her 3-year-old son and moved to Georgia. The Brookhaven Police Department in Georgia began investigating Pierce on an unrelated case involving her 3-year-old, which later expanded to investigating Zemar's death, with assistance from the Cobb County Sheriff's Office.
Pierce was arrested in Georgia on Jan. 10.
"I have been a prosecutor for a long time, and I often say that I have seen it all. The horrors of this child abuse case defy that. The alleged actions of this defendant are among the most callous I have seen, and hope never to see again," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy after charges were announced.
Pierce has pleaded not guilty and was remanded to jail.
