Hearing Set For Mom Accused Of Killing Daughter

A hearing to determine whether a Palm Desert woman accused in the death of her two-month-old daughter will stand trial will likely last two hours, a prosecutor said today.

Amanda Lasby, 25, of Palm Desert pleaded not guilty earlier this month to charges of murder, assaulting a child causing great bodily injury and willful child cruelty stemming from her daughter's March 30 death.

Lasby, who wore a blue jumpsuit with her hair in two braids, appeared in court Friday morning for a felony settlement conference at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge William S. Lebov agreed to the delay the hearing until Nov. 4 at the request of Deputy Public Defender Richard Verlato.

"I just got the file,'' Verlato told the judge, who also set a Nov. 7 preliminary hearing, which will determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.

Deputy District Attorney Bridget Rodarte told the judge she expects the hearing to last up to two hours.

Lasby's mother sat in the audience during the hearing, but declined comment on the case.

Lasby was arrested Friday, Sept. 30 at a home on Ocotillo Drive near Grapevine Street after a coroner's report showed the child’s injuries were consistent with abuse, said Sgt. Mike Lujan of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

The forensic evidence revealed that the cause of death was attributed to blunt force trauma, Lujan said

Lasby was being held at the Indio Jail in lieu of $1 million.