Molly Midyette, in jail for the death of her baby, will get a hearing next month

Molly Midyette was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for the death of her infant son -- a son who'd taken ill while she was at work, and her then-husband, Alex, was at home with the boy. This spring, she finally told her side, the side that insists Alex and...

By Patricia Calhoun

August 12, 2011

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Molly Midyette was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for the death of her infant son -- a son who'd taken ill while she was at work, and her then-husband, Alex, was at home with the boy. This spring, she finally told her side, the side that insists Alex and his powerful Boulder family sabotaged her defense in order to help his case, to Westword in "Bedtime Story," and now she'll get a chance to tell it to a judge next month.

This week, Molly learned that her hearing date on a request for a new trial has been moved up from January 30, 2012, to September 19, because the judge in the case, District Judge Lael Montgomery, is retiring October 1. Although the Midyettes were charged in Boulder County, where Molly's trial was held in December 2007, the courts approved the appointment of a special prosecutor from Jefferson County in June. That's because Boulder DA Stan Garnett has recused his office from the case, noting that some lawyers with that office may be called to the stand.

The hearing should run September 19 through 23. The last scheduled day of that hearing will be Molly's 33rd birthday -- and the fourth birthday she's spent in prison. According to the announcement from her support group:

Molly will be in court facing the Midyettes and Paul McCormick for the first time since she spoke out against them. Seeing friendly faces in the courtroom will help her manage the difficult emotional challenge of testifying. Molly and her family have been waiting over 3 years, Molly in prison, for this hearing, which will determine whether or not she received a fair trial in December 2007.

Before that hearing, you can listen to Molly Midyette's story in this video:

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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