Wayne mother charged with murdering daughter claimed 8-year-old was possessed by demons

***This story includes details of child abuse***

WAYNE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Wayne woman is accused of causing head and neck injuries that killed her 8-year-old daughter last week.

Chelsea Renee Duperon, 30, is charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse stemming from the death.

She appeared before a judge Tuesday afternoon and stood mute while her attorney entered a plea of not guilty. According to the prosecutor overseeing the case, the description given to police of what happened didn't "reflect the true depravity that is present in this case."

"The sheer brutality that innocent 8-year-old Lyla suffered on March 13 of 2024 is really like nothing I've ever seen in my five years of handling child abuse cases," attorney Erin Wilmoth said.

The judge remanded her to custody amid concerns she was a danger to the community and the severity of the charges. 

According to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, police were called to a home in the 35200 block of Phyllis Street on March 16 for reports that a child was not breathing. When they arrived, they found Duperon's child unresponsive in a bedroom with multiple injuries to her head and neck. 

According to an officer's statement during the swear-in of the case, Duperon first claimed that her daughter had fallen down the stairs, causing the injuries. 

At one point during the interview, officers observed Duperon with swelling to her right hand. When they asked about the injuries, she told them that she believed her daughter had been possessed by spirits. 

"I swear to God, this is not me. This sounds crazy, but there's bad spirits," she told police during the interview.

Her boyfriend was also interviewed by police told the officers he had come home from work last week and claimed Duperon was standing outside the home. When he looked inside, he saw the 8-year-old lying on the kitchen floor "all swolled up."

Duperon told her boyfriend she believed her daughter was possessed, he recounted for police. He told police he then carried her to her bed, observing the girl's face was swollen. 

Neither Duperon nor her boyfriend took Lyla to the hospital. The boyfriend told police since the victim wasn't her kid, he didn't know what he could do. 

Instead, police found evidence that Duperon instead purchased diapers for her daughter to use since she couldn't get out of bed. 

The Wayne County Medical Examiner said the cause of death was blunt force trauma. Wilmoth added the victim could have survived if she had been taken to the hospital in time.

A probable cause conference is scheduled for March 25. 

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