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Pretrial hearing held in Michigan deadly hyperbaric chamber case

By
Elaine Rojas-Castillo
Elaine Rojas-Castillo
Elaine Rojas-Castillo joined CBS News Detroit in December 2024.
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Elaine Rojas-Castillo

/ CBS Detroit

More than a year after the hyperbaric chamber explosion that led to the death of 5-year-old Thomas Cooper, the criminal case against the owner of the Oxford Center and its three employees continues heading to trial. 

The four suspects – Tamela Peterson, Gary Marken, Alita Moffitt and Jeffrey Mostellar – are accused of not following safety protocols while working at the facility. Last month, a judge ruled to send the case to trial, citing that there was enough to show malice without justification or excuse based on a combination of former employees' testimony and evidence gathered at the scene.

"My guess is that all of us are going to file motions to quash for different reasons, and rather than inundate the court with motions to quash and other motions, if the court would entertain the motions to quash perhaps first, and then we can move to any substantive motions after that," said attorney Gerald Gleeson.

Investigators say the boy was inside one of their hyperbaric chambers receiving treatment when video footage showed the chamber catching fire.

While they concluded the cause was due to static electricity from the system paneling, during the preliminary examination, defense attorneys pushed back on whether other reasons could be a factor.

"I'm here whenever you're available, but I'll ask that you all coordinate with each other, so I don't have multiple weeks of different motions to quash," said Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwamé L. Rowe.

The next pretrial hearing is set for June 1, with the jury needing extensive information to determine whether Peterson, Marken, Moffitt and Mostellar will be convicted of second-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter.

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