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Murder charges have been dropped against the mother of a baby found three years ago inside an abandoned camper at a business in Benton
Jason Hann, 27, and his wife, Krissy Lynn Werntz, 23, initially were charged with capital murder by Cross County authorities. The infant girl, Montana Jean Hann, died of asphyxiation, authorities said after an autopsy.
Hann is still considered a suspect in the death of the baby girl, who had been wrapped in plastic and hidden in a camper-trailer later bought at an auction at Wynne, which is in Cross County.
A Benton man who bought the camper discovered the body while cleaning the camper Feb. 18, 2002, at B&D Transport Inc. on Bird Street.
The B&D Transport employee had bought the camper from a mini-storage facility in Wynne, where it was auctioned for non-payment of storage fees. The camper was picked up on Feb. 7 and left unopened until Feb. 18.
Werntz is now living with her mother in Indiana, a Little Rock television station reported this week.
Werntz's mother reportedly told the TV station's reporters that Hann was psychotic and that her daughter feared him so much she could not protect herself nor her children.
Her mother allegedly professed that Werntz was innocent of any wrongdoing other than not reporting Hann's criminal acts.
As the investigation proceeded, a lawyer for Hann said the child's death likely occurred in California in January 2001.
Mental evaluations ordered by the court reportedly declared Hann competent to stand trial.
Hann and Werntz were arrested in Portland, Maine, on Arkansas warrants. At the time, prosecutors said they planned to seek the death penalty against the two.
For several months, Hann and Werntz had towed the pop-up camper - with the infant's body inside - behind a recreational vehicle purchased in Jonesboro, police said. The two eventually paid for one month's rent and insurance on a storage unit in Wynne, where they left the camper, according to an affidavit.
Hann also faces charges in Vermont in connection with the 1999 fatal beating of another infant son, authorities say. A month-old baby boy who suffered rib, skull and femur fractures and other injuries was found with the couple at the time of their arrest in Maine. He was initially placed in foster care, but has been adopted, authorities confirmed.
Werntz's mother reportedly told the TV station's reporters that Hann was psychotic and that her daughter feared him so much she could not protect herself nor her children.
Her mother allegedly professed that Werntz was innocent of any wrongdoing other than not reporting Hann's criminal acts.
As the investigation proceeded, a lawyer for Hann said the child's death likely occurred in California in January 2001.
Mental evaluations ordered by the court reportedly declared Hann competent to stand trial.
Hann and Werntz were arrested in Portland, Maine, on Arkansas warrants. At the time, prosecutors said they planned to seek the death penalty against the two.
http://www.bentoncourier.com/articles/2005/12/28/news/83mnews.txt
Jason Hann, 27, and his wife, Krissy Lynn Werntz, 23, initially were charged with capital murder by Cross County authorities. The infant girl, Montana Jean Hann, died of asphyxiation, authorities said after an autopsy.
Hann is still considered a suspect in the death of the baby girl, who had been wrapped in plastic and hidden in a camper-trailer later bought at an auction at Wynne, which is in Cross County.
A Benton man who bought the camper discovered the body while cleaning the camper Feb. 18, 2002, at B&D Transport Inc. on Bird Street.
The B&D Transport employee had bought the camper from a mini-storage facility in Wynne, where it was auctioned for non-payment of storage fees. The camper was picked up on Feb. 7 and left unopened until Feb. 18.
Werntz is now living with her mother in Indiana, a Little Rock television station reported this week.
Werntz's mother reportedly told the TV station's reporters that Hann was psychotic and that her daughter feared him so much she could not protect herself nor her children.
Her mother allegedly professed that Werntz was innocent of any wrongdoing other than not reporting Hann's criminal acts.
As the investigation proceeded, a lawyer for Hann said the child's death likely occurred in California in January 2001.
Mental evaluations ordered by the court reportedly declared Hann competent to stand trial.
Hann and Werntz were arrested in Portland, Maine, on Arkansas warrants. At the time, prosecutors said they planned to seek the death penalty against the two.
For several months, Hann and Werntz had towed the pop-up camper - with the infant's body inside - behind a recreational vehicle purchased in Jonesboro, police said. The two eventually paid for one month's rent and insurance on a storage unit in Wynne, where they left the camper, according to an affidavit.
Hann also faces charges in Vermont in connection with the 1999 fatal beating of another infant son, authorities say. A month-old baby boy who suffered rib, skull and femur fractures and other injuries was found with the couple at the time of their arrest in Maine. He was initially placed in foster care, but has been adopted, authorities confirmed.
Werntz's mother reportedly told the TV station's reporters that Hann was psychotic and that her daughter feared him so much she could not protect herself nor her children.
Her mother allegedly professed that Werntz was innocent of any wrongdoing other than not reporting Hann's criminal acts.
As the investigation proceeded, a lawyer for Hann said the child's death likely occurred in California in January 2001.
Mental evaluations ordered by the court reportedly declared Hann competent to stand trial.
Hann and Werntz were arrested in Portland, Maine, on Arkansas warrants. At the time, prosecutors said they planned to seek the death penalty against the two.
http://www.bentoncourier.com/articles/2005/12/28/news/83mnews.txt
