Overview
- Jem Bean entered the manslaughter plea Friday morning in Penobscot County Superior Court after previously facing a depraved-indifference murder charge.
- The plea agreement with the Maine Attorney General includes a state recommendation of 25 years in prison, and the statutory maximum for manslaughter is 30 years.
- Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin said the cause of death was blunt-force injuries in a setting of battered child syndrome, noting at least 15 injuries and a drop to 48 pounds at death.
- Investigators documented zip ties with the child’s DNA and evidence of restraint and food restriction, and prosecutors highlighted that homeschooling limited outside detection of the abuse.
- Joshua Smith and Mistie Latourette remain charged with depraved-indifference murder with jury selection and trial beginning March 23, and Bean’s attorney expects prosecutors to call her as a witness; her sentencing will occur afterward.