99 Stories of God

11. Arrangement

The defendant, a young housecleaner originally from El Salvador, was accused of murdering her three-year-old daughter. Whenever she was brought into the courtroom, she did nothing but weep.

Despite several grand jury proceedings, the woman, Dora Tejada, had not been indicted after several months of incarceration following her arrest.

The judge in the case scheduled a probable-cause hearing for September 13.

“This is a real date,” the judge said. “Unlike some cases where probable-cause dates are movable, this one isn’t.”

Court records indicate that police believe the woman used an object, possibly a rose, to suffocate her daughter.