Overview
- After closing arguments, Judge Maureen McGinnis said she needs more time to determine if four defendants will be bound over for trial in the 2025 death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper.
- Prosecutors asked that all charges advance, arguing the Oxford Center repeatedly disregarded safety protocols, while defense attorneys said the fire’s cause has not been proven with sufficient certainty.
- Witnesses and investigators described unused grounding straps, dryer-warm blankets and polyester pillows in an oxygen-rich chamber, with a Troy fire official calling static discharge the likely ignition source pending further testing.
- Separately, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced nine felony health care fraud charges against former CEO Tamela Peterson, who received a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
- Peterson’s fraud case returns Jan. 27 for a probable cause conference with a preliminary exam on Feb. 3, as she and two colleagues face second-degree murder charges and a fourth worker faces involuntary manslaughter in the explosion case.