A Michigan mother, entangled in a tragic case that has captured the hearts of many, has taken a significant step by pleading guilty in the horrific death of her young son. Amanda Mae Maison, 33, admitted to second-degree murder this week, a move that sets the stage for her to testify against her boyfriend, who also faces charges in the case.

This distressing story began earlier this year when Maison and her 25-year-old boyfriend, Maurice Houle, were arrested. The couple was charged with the death of three-year-old Matthew Maison, who tragically lost his life in February 2018. The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office disclosed that the boy died from blunt force trauma and possible suffocation, a grim reminder of the violence he endured.

Details from the investigation reveal a chilling motive behind the crime. According to St. Clair County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Sparling, the couple allegedly plotted to make room for a child they planned to have together. Both Maison and Houle accused each other of abusing the toddler, but Sparling painted a disturbing picture of the abuse: Houle allegedly struck the boy in the face, forced him to kneel for extended periods, and banged his head against the drywall.

The torment continued as the young child was reportedly confined to his room for hours without access to food or water. In one particularly horrifying incident, Houle allegedly placed a pillow over the boy’s head, masquerading the act as play. These revelations underscore the profound suffering Matthew endured in what should have been a safe and loving environment.

Sparling said that Houle would hit the toddler in the face and put him in timeout on his knees, then bang his head on the drywall. The boy would be locked into his room for a hours at a time without food or water, and at least once Houle put a pillow over the child’s head “and pretended like he was playing.”

Maison reportedly told investigators Houle held a pillow over the boy’s face multiple times and that she also shoved his head into a wall “forceful enough to remove the backing of the drywall itself,” Sparling said.

She also told detectives that she lied about the abuse, lied when she initially spoke with officers in 2018, and lied to Child Protective Services investigating Houle for abuse prior to the boy’s death. She also said the hadn’t taken her son to the doctor because she didn’t want them to see his injuries.

In court on Wednesday, Maison admitted that Houle abused Matthew “and that she willingly participated in the intentional concealment of Matthew’s injuries to Child Protective Services and Law Enforcement investigations from 2016 through the 2018 murder investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.

She further admitted participating in the abuse and “that she participated with Maurice Houle in activiely contriving a plan to conceal the manner of Matthew’s death from law enforcement.”

Her plea includes testifying against Houle when he goes to trial next year. As a result of the plea, Maison’s bond was cancelled and she was remanded to jail pending sentencing, when she faces up to life in prison.

The sheriff’s office said it “has been unwavering in it’s [sic] commitment to bring to bring justice for Matthew,” although they have not explained why it took seven years to file charges.