GUILTY IL - Colton Fassler, 6, dies of head trauma, Dixon, 30 Dec 2010

Lee County State’s Attorney Anna Sacco-Miller keeps postponing the first court date. Why? Good question. Incompetence, doubtful; conflict of interest?

In the meantime, Tiffany Fassler, with two counts of murder, still walks around scot-free. Her bond was reduced from $500,000 to a mere $50,000 by Ms. Miller. Incompetence, doubtful; conflict of interest?

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A trial date for a Dixon woman accused of injuring her 7-year-old stepson and eventually causing his death likely will be set at a hearing Feb. 3.

Fassler, who is free of $200,000 bond, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, each of which carries 20 to 60 years in prison, and four counts of aggravated battery to a child, which carries 6 to 30 years.

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The trial of a Dixon woman accused of injuring her 7-year-old stepson and eventually causing his death is set for Oct. 23, almost 7 years after the boy was injured.

Three weeks have been set aside for the trial of Tiffany Fassler, 41. She is accused of kicking Colton Fassler on Dec. 30, 2010, causing him to hit his head on a bathroom vanity and resulting in severe brain damage that prosecutors say led to his death 11 months later.

Fassler is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, each of which carries 20 to 60 years in prison, and four counts of aggravated battery to a child, which carries 6 to 30 years.

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A Dixon woman charged with causing the death of her 7-year-old stepson 6-and-a-half years ago wants her trial held in another county.

Extensive local, and even national, news coverage has tainted the jury pool and Tiffany Fassler, 41, can't get a fair trial in Lee County, her attorney, Paul Whitcombe of Dixon, said in his 8-page motion, which is accompanied by more than 125 articles by media outlets, and social media comments – nearly 300 pages in all.

The motion was filed May 9; the state has until July 16 to respond. Monday, a hearing on the motion was set for July 31; the trial tentatively is set for Oct. 23.

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A Dixon woman accused of causing the death of her 7-year-old stepson after kicking him into a vanity in 2010 will not get a change of venue, Lee County Court Judge Jacquelyn D. Ackert ruled Monday.

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Meanwhile, a 402 conference with Ackert has been set for Aug. 17.

"The only purpose of a 402 conference is that, in the unlikely event that a tentative agreement is offered and accepted, the parties would be able to ensure that agreement is also acceptable to the court, who is the final arbiter of any proposed agreement."

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In his motion, Thompson is asking Judge Jacquelyn Ackert to dismiss three of the four aggravated battery charges, saying that the language in the charging document is too vague to sustain the charges.

Three of the four aggravated battery charges accuse Fassler of causing "great bodily harm" without specifying what that harm was, which is why they should be dismissed, Thompson wrote in his motion.

A hearing on Tiffany D. Fassler's motion to dismiss is set for Dec. 20.

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A Lee County Court judge is mulling whether to allow attorneys for a woman accused of injuring her 7-year-old stepson and causing his death to introduce the possibility that the boy's father may have committed the crime.

The judge also declined Monday to reschedule the June 4 trial, which will begin 7-and-a-half years after the injury.

In fact, Tiffany D. Fassler, 42, essentially has been awaiting a resolution longer than Colton Fassler was on this earth.

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Tiffany Fassler, 42, pleaded guilty to one felony count of aggravated battery of a child. She will be sentenced Aug. 17 by Judge Jacquelyn Ackert.

In return for Fassler's guilty plea, Lee County State's Attorney Matthew Klahn said that all other charges would be dropped. The deal recommends a 13-year prison sentence, with Fassler to serve no less than 85 percent of that time.

"We recommend that she not have any contact with Andrew Fassler and the family, except through counsel, until sentencing, and she must register for life as a violent offender against youth," Klahn said.

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As Lee County State's Attorney Matt Klahn requested, Tiffany Fassler will serve the majority of a 13-year sentence for causing the death of her 7-year-old stepson almost 8 years ago.

Fassler, 42, was sentenced Tuesday to 13 years for aggravated battery of a child. She must serve at least 85 percent, a little more than 11 years, and upon her release must register as a violent offender against youth for the rest of her life.

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It was, in fact, “a very difficult decision,” made with input from, and the well-being of, members of the Fassler family – and especially Colton’s two brothers – foremost in his mind, State’s Attorney Matt Klahn said in an email Wednesday.

“Colton’s brothers had been through such trauma that we had to consider the impact a trial would have upon them and their family,” Klahn said.

“The responsibility of this decision is mine, however, we worked with the family in discussing the different options and challenges. Together, we agreed, that although a 13-year sentence was not perfect justice, this was a strong sentence, and that justice was served.”

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