A Macomb County woman accused of killing her infant daughter in 2023 will receive an independent mental evaluation to determine whether she may have been insane at the time of the incident.
Kia Barkley, of Clinton Tonwship, appeared remotely by video Monday for a pretrial hearing in Macomb County Circuit Court on felony-murder and child-abuse charges for the March 2023 death of her 1-month-old daughter.
Barkely’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Gary Kennedy, who appeared in person in court, was granted his request by Judge Matthew Sabaugh for a second mental evaluation of Barkley regarding her criminal responsibility following an initial assessment by the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry. Attorneys and the judge did not reveal the contents of the initial report submitted Dec. 27, but typically an independent evaluation is only sought by the defense after the Forensic Center determines a suspect was sane at the time of the incident and can face trial…