Watch CBS News

Blackstone Home Cleanup Complete, Mother In Prison Treatment Center

BLACKSTONE (CBS/AP) — The cleanup of a squalid, vermin-infested home in Blackstone where three infants were found dead last week was completed Tuesday afternoon.

The woman who lived there, Erika Murray, 31, faces charges including fetal death concealment, witness intimidation and permitting substantial injury to a child. Not guilty pleas were entered for her on Friday.

Her lawyer said Murray is now in a prison treatment unit for inmates who could pose a danger to themselves.

Erika Murray
Erika Murray in Uxbridge District Court , Sept. 12, 2014. (WBZ-TV)

Four other children, ages 13, 10, 3 and 6 months, were removed from the home at 23 St. Paul St. by the state's child welfare agency about two weeks before a police search revealed the remains of the infants, officials said.

Murray's court-appointed lawyer, Keith Halpern, said his client was placed in a treatment center at the state prison for women in Framingham that provides additional protection for those who could pose a suicide risk.

Halpern has said repeatedly that he believes his client suffers from a mental illness, though he has not speculated on the nature of her condition.

"It's kind of obvious that many things going on in her head were not real," he said.

I-Team: Police Visited Home 29 Times

Expanding on comments made in an earlier Associated Press interview, Halpern said Monday he was skeptical whether forensic testing of the infants' remains could conclusively determine whether the babies were stillborn or died after birth. He maintained that he was hopeful the tests would reveal that no physical harm was inflicted on the infants to cause their deaths.

The autopsies are being conducted by the state medical examiner.

No birth records existed for the two youngest living children, and Halpern previously said he believed Murray secretly gave birth to those children because her boyfriend didn't want any more kids than the two they already had.

Read: Neighbor Describes Horrifying Scene

The boyfriend, Ramon Rivera, has not been charged in connection with the discovery of the infants' remains. Authorities have not commented on whether he was the father of any or all of the babies.

Blackstone Basement
The basement of Murray's St. Paul Street home in Blackstone when investigators visited the home in late August 2014. (Photo from court documents)

John Guilfoil, a spokesman for Blackstone police, said Monday that Rivera was charged with cultivating and possession of marijuana, stemming from an initial police visit to the home after a neighbor reported finding a baby covered in feces.

Public records show the home was owned by Kristina Rivera, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Ramon's sister.

WBZ-TV's Kate Merrill tracked Kristina Rivera down Tuesday night. She refused to talk about her brother, her condemned house or the $25,000 she now owes for the cleanup.

"She's on a $50 a day violation, and she was served on Friday," said Bill Walsh of the Blackstone Board of Health.

Blackstone House
The home on St. Paul Street where the infants' bodies were found in September 2014. (WBZ-TV)

"This was so horrific that I don't think a homeowner could put their hands around even how they would attempt to clean this property," Walsh said.

Neighbors are urging the town to take the house down.

"I would like to see the house torn down so we can forget that bad part," Lee-Ann Defaut said. "But we'll never forget about the kids."

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTON

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.