Trial begins for Julissa Thaler, American mom who killed her 6-year-old son Eli Hart

By Edward Era Barbacena

The trial for a mother accused of killing her 6-year-old son begins Monday morning.

Julissa Thaler, 28, is charged after investigators found Eli Hart's body in her trunk during a traffic stop in Orono last year. Originally facing second-degree murder charges, Thaler was indicted on the upgraded charges by a grand jury earlier this month -- one count each of first-degree murder and second-degree murder.

Before his death, Hart's life was dominated by a custody battle between Thaler and his biological father. Court records showed Hart was put into foster care after mounting concerns over his mother's mental health. But Thaler got sole custody less than two weeks before her arrest.

Case history

Thaler was arrested in Orono when a caller reported that the car she was driving had a shattered rear window and a blown-out tire.

Police saw blood on Thaler's hand, the criminal complaint said, and found Hart's body in the trunk of the car. The medical examiner said the boy died of "multiple shotgun wounds," and listed his death as a homicide.

Since Eli Hart's death, a judge determined that she was mentally competent to stand trial and can assist with her own defense.

She was offered a plea deal soon after, but rejected the offer to plead guilty to the second-degree murder charge and serve 40 years in prison.