Michigan – In a disturbing case that has horrified a community in Michigan, a 33-year-old mother, identified as A. Maison, and her 28-year-old boyfriend, identified as M. Houle, are now facing first-degree murder charges after prosecutors revealed they beat and suffocated the woman’s 3-year-old son to death in a horrifying plot to “afford” having a child together.
Maison and Houle are facing first-degree murder charges in the 2018 death of Maison’s 3-year-old son. Authorities say the child endured years of abuse before his death, which investigators now believe was part of a disturbing plan by the couple to eliminate the financial burden of raising the 3-year-old boy so they could have a new child together. During court proceedings this week, a Michigan judge ruled that sufficient evidence exists for the case to move forward to circuit court. Houle is also facing three additional charges for allegedly assaulting and resisting police during his recent arrest. The prosecution’s theory centers on a chilling motive. Prosecutors allege the couple, unable to afford another child, decided to kill the toddler to clear the way financially and emotionally to start a new family of their own.
The boy was found dead in his bed on February 18, 2018, inside his mother’s home. At the time, his death sparked a quiet investigation, but no charges were brought—until now. Testimony from the original responding detective revealed that the 3-year-old boy’s body showed visible injuries and a black eye, suggesting a long history of abuse. The detective also noted that the toddler’s grandfather had previously contacted Child Protective Services (CPS), after Maison told him she had seen Houle physically abuse the boy for spilling food. But when CPS arrived, Maison retracted her statement and severed ties with her father, effectively shutting down the investigation.
In new testimony from a second detective who re-opened the case in April 2025, both Maison and Houle admitted to having seen the other attempt to smother the 3-year-old boy with a pillow. One of the more disturbing allegations was that Houle told Maison to “take the fall” so he wouldn’t end up in prison. Evidence also showed the couple subjected the victims to extreme forms of punishment. Houle admitted to forcing the child to do “military time-outs,” where the toddler would have to kneel in front of a wall with his hands on his head. Prosecutors said that these punishments often escalated into physical violence, including banging the child’s head against drywall.
The most damning evidence presented in court came from testimony about the couple’s motivations. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney J. Sparling stated that both Maison and Houle admitted the other had abused the victim and suggested that their ultimate plan was to kill the toddler “to make room for a child the two of them could have together.” The court heard that Maison had become pregnant with a third child during her relationship with Houle, but the couple opted for an abortion, claiming they couldn’t afford another baby. District Court Judge J. Monaghan ruled that this information could be introduced in court, stating it was directly relevant to the prosecution’s argument about motive.
Both defendants have been bound over to the county’s circuit court, though a date for their next court appearance has not yet been announced. Houle remains in custody, and the charges against both carry a potential life sentence without the possibility of parole. What began as a quiet death inside a home has now evolved into a deeply troubling legal case exposing a child’s brutal treatment and the alleged premeditated plan to end his life. Prosecutors say the boy’s tragic death was not an isolated incident, but the culmination of years of abuse and calculated cruelty by the two people who should have protected him most.
