Aurora – A woman accused of stabbing her 21-month-old granddaughter to death was formally charged with murder today, and her lawyers questioned whether prosecutors obtained her medical records without her permission.
Carol Lynn Pappas, 52, is accused of killing the toddler Saturday in the home she shared with her son and his wife in Aurora. She is charged with first-degree murder by a person in a position of trust.
The Arapahoe County coroner identified the girl as Madison Pappas and said she died of severe internal injuries from multiple stab wounds. The child has relatives in Garden City, Kan.
During a hearing today, defense lawyer James O’Connor asked Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester to bar prosecutors from looking at the medical records.
He said the prosecutors might have to be replaced if they view the records and they are later determined to have been obtained improperly.
O’Connor referred to “any records, whether they are medical or psychiatric,” but did not say whether Pappas’ documents included psychiatric reports.
Sylvester said he could not seal the records without seeing them first, but he asked prosecutors not to make them public and scheduled a Nov. 21 hearing to consider the matter.
Sylvester did order Pappas’ jail records sealed. Previously, he issued a gag order in the case and sealed the affidavits used to obtain search and arrest warrants.
Pappas, who is being held without bail, appeared in court in an orange jail jumpsuit, her hands cuffed in front of her and her angles shackled. She stood quietly between her attorneys.
She faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Police said they believe Pappas was alone with the child at the time of the stabbing. Pappas lived at the house with her son, Nicholas, 27, his wife, Jessica, 28, and a roommate, authorities said.
Officers found the toddler’s body Saturday after Pappas called 911, police said.
