PORT HURON TOWNSHIP, MI – A 28-year-old mother and a 31-year-old man have been charged in connection with the death of the woman’s 3-year-old son, who investigators say was killed nearly seven years ago in his Michigan home.

Amanda Maison and Maurice Houle, who were reportedly in a relationship at the time, were arrested on charges related to the 2018 death of young Matthew Maison, authorities confirmed. On Friday, the pair were charged with one count each of first-degree murder. Houle faces additional charges of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing a police officer related to his conduct during the arrest.

The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office stated that Matthew Maison was found deceased in his bed at the family’s Port Huron Township residence on Feb. 18, 2018. The recent arrests follow significant new developments in the case, though details of these developments were not disclosed.

During a Monday arraignment hearing, prosecutors outlined allegations of prolonged abuse suffered by Matthew at the hands of both defendants. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Josh Sparling described a fabricated story the couple allegedly concocted about Matthew’s injuries before speaking to investigators. He stated that both Maison and Houle accused one another of abuse.

Sparling further alleged that Matthew endured severe mistreatment, including being placed in “timeout” on his knees with his head forced into a wall and being locked in a room without sustenance. Additionally, an instance was recounted where Houle supposedly suffocated Matthew with a pillow under the guise of play.

In a disturbing assertion, Sparling indicated a purported intention by the pair to harm Matthew to make room for a future child they might have together. The hearing also revealed that investigators believe Matthew was beaten and asphyxiated, determining his death was a homicide.

St. Clair County Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz commented on the autopsy findings, noting Matthew’s death resulted from “blunt traumatic injuries with features of asphyxiation,” pointing towards inflicted trauma.

The situation drew parallels to a separate, tragic family case. Amanda Maison’s brother, Andrew Maison, and his wife, Hilery Maison, are serving life sentences without parole for the murder of Andrew’s 5-year-old daughter, in addition to abusing his younger daughter.

In 2020, a Freedom of Information Act request for 911 call recordings related to Matthew’s case was denied due to automatic deletion protocols in the county’s dispatch system, leaving many procedural details undisclosed.

The arraignment has brought long-awaited legal proceedings in a case that has left many seeking justice for Matthew’s tragic loss, hoping to piece together the events leading to that fatal day in 2018.