Trevor and Harper Grace Averill.
A Maine man accused of killing his infant daughter in 2020 will be able to visit with relatives — including children — this holiday season, PEOPLE confirms.
An Androscoggin County Superior Court judge this week granted a bail modification request from Trevor Averill, 28, a spokeswoman for the clerk’s office tells PEOPLE.
In September, Averill pleaded not guilty to charges of depraved indifference murder and manslaughter in the death of his 2-month-old daughter, Harper Averill.
The terms of his bail dictated that he have no contact with children.
But on Monday, Justice Harold Stewart II granted a motion from Averill’s attorneys seeking to amend the conditions of his release on $25,000 bail.
The Sun Journalof Lewiston reportsthe request was granted despite the objections of Assistant Attorney General Lisa Bogue. A similar motion filed in November was granted to permit Averill to spend Thanksgiving with relatives, including minors.
“Given the nature of the charges, the seriousness of the charges, we’re not in a position to be agreeable to the defendant having any contact with children,” Bogue told the judge, according to the paper.
On July 22, 2020, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an infant in medical distress from the Turner, Maine, home where Averill was living with Harper’s mother.
Despite their best efforts, deputies were unable to revive the unresponsive infant, who was flown to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where doctors pronounced her dead.
Stewart ruled that Averill could visit with relatives on Christmas Day, from noon to 3 p.m. — one hour longer than he was allowed on Thanksgiving Day.
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“I think we’ve carved out some safeguards that can allow for this to happen safely,” Stewart said, noting Averill’s Thanksgiving visit was uneventful.
According tothe Sun Journal, Averill’s attorney, Jeffrey Wilson, said in court his client has a large extended family, and that he’s living in Buckfield with Harper’s mother while out on bail.
Averill and his attorney could not be reached for comment Thursday.
source: people.com
