Mom of 2 kids found in freezer removed after court outburst

DETROIT (AP) – A Detroit mother charged with killing two of her children was removed Wednesday from court after confronting the father of one of her living children during a parental rights termination hearing.

Mitchelle Blair used an expletive after visitation between her two living children and their fathers was discussed.

“How many birthdays did you miss? He has never been there,” Blair said, referring to Alexander Dorsey, who was seated nearby.

After her outburst, she was removed from the hearing inside Wayne County juvenile court. She was allowed to return a short time later.

Blair, 35, is charged with two counts each of felony murder, premeditated murder and torture in the deaths of Stoni Ann Blair and Stephen Gage Berry. Court officers carrying out an eviction at the family’s apartment on Detroit’s east side found the children’s frozen bodies covered in plastic on March 24 in a deep freezer.

Investigators believe Stephen was 9 when he died in August 2012 and that Stoni was 13 when she died the following May. Blair’s surviving children, a 17-year-old girl and an 8-year-old boy, have been placed in a relative’s care.

Dorsey is father of the 17-year-old and was Stoni’s father. Stephen Berry is the 8-year-old’s father and was the father of young Stephen.

Both men owe thousands of dollars in child support. The state is trying to terminate the men’s and Blair’s parental rights regarding the surviving children.

Dorsey told reporters after the hearing that Blair didn’t allow him to see his children.

“I don’t hate her. She’s the mother of my children,” he said, according to the Detroit Free Press.

A judge allowed Dorsey to continue supervised visitation with the 17-year-old. The parental rights trial is set to start June 4.

Blair also is charged with child abuse. She awaits competency evaluations in the criminal case and is being held without bond. Her next court date is June 19.