Mom Accused of Killing 3-Year-Old Son to ‘Make Room’ for Baby with New Boyfriend Pleads Guilty

A Michigan woman has pleaded guilty to killing her 3-year-old son, nearly seven years after his death in Port Huron Township.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 33-year-old Amanda Maison entered a guilty plea to second-degree homicide on Wednesday, Nov. 5. She had been arrested earlier this year along with her former boyfriend, Maurice Houle, in connection with the 2018 death of her son, Matthew Maison.

Authorities said the child was found dead in his bed on Feb. 18, 2018, by his babysitters, according to prior reports from the Times Herald and the Sanilac Broadcasting Company.

Prosecutors previously alleged that Amanda and Houle, who was 28 at the time of his arrest, killed the boy in a disturbing attempt to “make room for a child that the two of them could have together,” ClickOnDetroit reported, citing St. Clair County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Sparling.

When the pair were arrested, prosecutors said they both admitted to abusing the child.

During her court appearance last week, Amanda told the judge that she had abused Matthew and, on one occasion, pushed his “head into a wall in their home” during what she called a “military time-out,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

She also admitted to allowing Houle’s alleged abuse, hiding it from child protective services and law enforcement, and helping to conceal the true circumstances of Matthew’s death.

Amanda and Houle were initially charged with first-degree murder in April and both pleaded not guilty at the time. Their relationship reportedly ended the day Matthew was killed.

Under her plea agreement, Amanda will testify in Houle’s upcoming trial, which is expected to take place in early 2026.