Hannah Faith Cormier, a 32-year-old Louisiana woman whose 10-month-old daughter died after she was left inside a vehicle in August has pleaded not guilty to negligent homicide. Cormier’s attorney, Bill Riley, entered the plea Monday in state court and asked for a jury trial, the American Press reported The accused was initially arrested on charges of second-degree murder and cruelty to a juvenile, but a grand jury earlier this month indicted her on the lesser charge to which she entered the plea. She remains out of jail on a $10,000 bond, pending a pre-trial conference set for March 31, 2025. That conference will determine whether the case will go to trial or be resolved with a plea, officials said. Cormier is accused of leaving her daughter unattended inside the hot vehicles for several hours outside a fast food restaurant while she worked. Temperatures on that day were in the mid-to-upper 90s with triple-digit heat indices. The baby’s body temperature was 109 degrees (42 Celsius) when she was taken to the hospital, according to police. Cormier told police she did not realize the baby was still in the back seat until she went to leave work and found her unconscious. Cormier took the baby to an area hospital where she was stabilized and later transported to another hospital in critical condition. She later died from what police said was a heat stroke.
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