Mother charged in stabbing death of 5-year-old daughter waives court appearance
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HENDERSON COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A Henderson County woman has waived her first court appearance after being charged with 2nd-degree murder in the stabbing death of her 5-year-old daughter. Penny Short Hartle, 50, was scheduled to appear in court Monday morning.
On Sunday, April 25, at approximately 8:43 a.m., Henderson County deputies were dispatched to a report of a stabbing at 265 Fiesta Lane.
Emergency personnel arrived to find a 5-year-old girl had died from injuries received.
Authorities say as a result of the investigation, it was determined Hartle, the mother of the child, was suspected of stabbing the little girl.
Hartle was arrested and charged with 2nd-degree murder.
On Monday, officials say Hartle was appointed a court-appointed attorney and waived her first court appearance. She’s currently being held without bond. Court officials tell News 13 the district attorney will assign a new court date soon. That appearance will be within the next 15 business days.
Neighbors told News 13 they had seen the little girl many times outside, playing, and are grieving for her family.
Neighbors say Sunday morning Hartle went to a neighbor’s home and got into a bed there. Another neighbor, Joe Coch, tells News 13 the neighbor contacted him and told him what happened. Coch went to try and wake the woman. “She wouldn’t wake up,” Coch. “A few minutes later she came out and got in a truck and sat down in it, and it looked like she was shredding paper. Her hands were kind of shaking and she acted like she didn’t know who she was.”
Sheriff’s investigators told News 13 they couldn’t confirm or deny if they thought Hartle was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
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