Hearing Begins For Ewing Township Police Officer, Wife Charged In Death Of 3-Month-Old Daughter
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- A judge decided on Tuesday if the couple facing charges in the death of their infant daughter should stay in jail before trial. Police officer Daniel Bannister was denied release today and will remain in jail until trial. His wife Catherine, who is facing lesser charge in their daughter's death, was allowed to go home.
The Bannisters appeared together for their detention hearings.
Daniel is a suspended Ewing Township Police Officer and Catherine was a kindergarten teacher before becoming a suspect in her daughter's death.
Last December, they called 911 because their 3-month-old daughter Hailey was unresponsive and have trouble breathing. The little girl died a few days later in the hospital.
After a 7-month investigation, Officer Bannister was charged with murder after an autopsy revealed the infant had multiple skull and rib fractures.
Catherine was charged with endangering the child by allegedly concealing months of abuse.
The couple's attorneys offered alternative theories to the child's injuries and argued the couple was doing their best with a baby that had health concerns since birth.
But prosecutors argue that a number of injuries point toward the child suffering a violent death.
The couple will appear in court again in September before the case goes before a grand jury for indictment.
