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 horrific plot to “afford” having a child together.
Maison and Houle are charged with first-degree murder in the 2018 death of Maison’s three-year-old son. Authorities say the child was abused for years before his death, which investigators now believe was part of the couple’s disturbing plan to relieve 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 determined that there is enough evidence to move the case to circuit court. Houle is also facing three more charges for allegedly assaulting and resisting police officers during his recent arrest.
The prosecution’s theory revolves around a chilling motive. Prosecutors claim that the couple, unable to afford another child, decided to kill the toddler in order to clear the financial and emotional path for them to start their own family.
On February 18, 2018, the boy was found dead in his bed inside his mother’s home. His death prompted a quiet investigation, but no charges were filed—until now. The original responding detective testified that the 3-year-old boy’s body had visible injuries and a black eye, indicating a long history of abuse.
The detective also stated that the toddler’s grandfather had previously contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) after Maison informed him that she had witnessed Houle physically abusing the boy for spilling food. However, when CPS arrived, Maison retracted her statement and severed ties with her father, effectively ending the investigation.
In new testimony from a second detective who reopened the case in April 2025, Maison and Houle admitted to witnessing the other attempt to smother the 3-year-old boy with a pillow. One of the more disturbing allegations was that Houle instructed Maison to “take the fall” so that he would not end up in prison.
Evidence also showed that the couple subjected the victims to severe punishment. Houle admitted to forcing the child to perform “military time-outs,” which required the toddler to kneel in front of a wall with his hands on his head. Prosecutors claimed that these punishments frequently escalated into physical violence, including banging the child’s head against drywall.
The most damning evidence presented in court concerned the couple’s motivations. According to Assistant Prosecuting Attorney J. Sparling, Maison and Houle both admitted to abusing 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.”
Maison became pregnant with a third child during her relationship with Houle, but the couple decided to have an abortion because they couldn’t afford another child. District Court Judge J. Monaghan ruled that this information could be used in court because it was directly relevant to the prosecution’s argument about motive.
Both defendants have been bound over to the county circuit court, but a date for their next court appearance has yet to be set.
Houle is still in custody, and both charges carry the possibility of a life sentence without parole. What began as a quiet death in a home has now turned into a deeply disturbing legal case exposing a child’s brutal treatment and an alleged premeditated plan to end his life.
Prosecutors say the boy’s tragic death was the result of years of abuse and calculated cruelty by the two people who were supposed to protect him the most.
