KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The woman accused of locking her daughter in a closet went on trial Monday.
Jacole Prince is accused of starving her daughter and keeping her in a closet. Her daughter was found in 2012 when she was only 10-years-old.
During Prince’s first appearance, her lawyer claimed she has a mental disease, which caused her to lock her daughter in the closet.
Prince was arrested on June 22, 2012.
Police found the doors of the closet had been tied together and a crib blocked the front of the doors. Officers say the closet smelled like feces.
The girl told paramedics she had to sleep in the closet and was unable to go outside with her sisters.
When paramedics rushed the girl to Children’s Mercy Hospital, she weighed only 32 pounds, which is half the normal weight of a girl her age.
The girl told paramedics she wasn’t fed everyday because she made messes and the closet was her room.
Prince’s lawyer agreed with the child’s claims during Monday’s court appearance but said it was important for the jury to understand why. She added that Prince’s mental disease is documented and dates back to 2005.
Her lawyer says in 2006 Prince’s children were taken away for malnutrition and she was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation, but the evaluation never happened and Prince got her children back.
There is a possibility during the trial the jury could hear from the daughter.
During the last several years, Prince’s case has circled through the system. Originally Prince accepted a plea deal in the case, but later changed her mind.
