A Syracuse woman accused of beating her 5-year-old daughter to death, and her ex-boyfriend, accused of helping her hide the body, will be tried separately, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Latasha Mott, of Syracuse, is accused of hitting her young daughter, Nefertiti “Neffy” Harris, several times with a belt while the girl was in the shower in early 2024, prosecutors said.
The girl’s body was found more than two months later in a wooded area on Syracuse’s East Side, authorities said.
An autopsy performed by the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office on March 27, 2024, determined the immediate cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Mott was charged with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse. Corrice Parks, her boyfriend at the time, was accused of helping her hide the body. He was arrested and charged with concealment of a human corpse and hindering prosecution, according to local reports.
Attorneys for both parties have argued that their clients are expected to offer conflicting defenses.
Last month, Mott’s defense team said in court that Parks was responsible for the girl’s death, Syracuse.com reported. Her attorney, Don Kelly, revealed his defense strategy as the judge considered whether to hold separate trials for the two.
On Tuesday, both Mott and Parks appeared in Onondaga County Court, when Judge Matthew Doran ruled that they would face separate trials “out of an abundance of caution,” CNY Central reported.
When referring to Kelly’s comment on his team’s defense strategy, Park’s attorney, Susan Carey, argued that severance was needed because Mott’s defense “would cast all blame” on her client. The judge agreed that severance would be “the best way to proceed.”
The two former lovers are now scheduled to appear in court for another pre-trial hearing on Jan. 7, according to online court records. Mott’s trial is expected to get underway Jan. 20, Syracuse.com reported.