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A pre-trial conference in the case of a North Webster woman charged in connection with her daughter's death has set a trial date and provided for the hiring of a forensic expert.
The jury trial date for Kristina Crooks, 19, has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 27. She is charged with neglect of a dependent and reckless homocide.
The case is scheduled for five days before a 12-person jury.
The defense's motion to hire a forensic expert at the county's expense was also approved earlier this week, according to court documents. The county is paying for a forensic expert because Crooks is being defended by a public defender, according to Kosciusko County Prosecutor David Kolbe.
"There are fine medical points here that don't normally exist, so it's not surprising that they are requesting an expert," he said.
Kolbe said the facts in the case are rare and the forensic expert is appropriate. The defense firm could not be expected to carry the large expense of an expert in a public defender case, Kolbe added.
Crooks' daughter, Lois Ozenbaugh, 11 months, was found dead in Crooks' home in Black's Trailer Court on Jan. 24. Six cigarette butts were recovered from her stomach, an autopsy indicated.
