The King County Prosecutors Office today filed charges of murder in the second degree against Marie Robinson, a Kent woman who is accused in the starvation deaths of two of her children. The two sons, aged six weeks and sixteen months, died from malnutrition and dehydration, although the defendant had food in the apartment.

Robinson, 36, is charged with two counts of murder in the second degree for the two deaths. She is also charged with one count of reckless endangerment in the second degree for the neglect of her third child, a son aged two and a half, who appeared to be hungry and had been foraging for food in the kitchen.

Kent Police detectives said the apartment was littered with beer cans, garbage and smelled strongly of urine and feces. The defendant was passed out when police entered the apartment on November 14 and her blood alcohol content was later determined to be .40.

King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng said it is one of the worst cases of child neglect that his office has ever prosecuted. “The degree of neglect is unfathomable,” Maleng said. “This is one of the most tragic cases I’ve seen in my years in office,” he added.

If convicted as charged, Robinson could be sentenced to 20 to 36 years in prison. Because of the severity of the case, prosecutors could consider asking for an exceptional sentence beyond the standard range.

Robinson remains in jail on $2 million dollars bail pending arraignment on November 30 in King County Superior Court. The arraignment will be held at the Regional Justice Center in Kent at 9 a.m. in courtroom GA.

Dated: November 17, 2004