ROYAL OAK, Mich. – A Royal Oak nanny accused of killing the grandfather of the child she cared for has been ordered to stand trial following two days of graphic testimony from witnesses, law enforcement and a medical examiner.
District Court Judge Andrew Kowalkowski of Royal Oak’s 44th District Court sent Samantha Booth, 35, to trial on all charges Friday.
Background: Royal Oak nanny murder case: Medical examiner testifies grandfather was stabbed more than 40 times
She faces first-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, felonious assault and three counts of resisting and obstructing police in connection with the death of David Ong, 83.
Witnesses describe chaos, confrontation outside the home
A family member -- whose name was withheld under a court order-- testified he entered the home to retrieve a 2-year-old girl from the basement where she was hiding. He said Booth approached him covered in blood.
He said he grabbed a highchair to fend Booth off, striking her in the chest and pushing her to the ground. He then ran out of the house with the child as Booth chased them, eventually reaching a neighbor’s home for safety.
A neighbor testified he was outside with his wife and friends at a bonfire when he heard cries for help. He and a friend jumped a fence and encountered the family member and the toddler running toward them.
“She started speaking gibberish, started smashing her fist on the ground,” he said. “It was like a horror movie, pretty much.”
The neighbor said he believed Booth was holding a knife at the time.
Mother recounts the night she learned of the attack
The mother of the 2-year-old testified she found Booth had been watching her daughter since the child was just 6 weeks old, and the two had grown close.
That weekend marked the first time the mother had ever left her daughter for a weekend. She had traveled to New York with family while her father, David Ong, agreed to stop by daily to give Booth a break. The mother said Booth had met her father at least a dozen times before.
Around 4:30 p.m., the mother FaceTimed Booth.
“She seemed a little bit flighty,” she said.
When she tried to reach Booth again around 6:40 p.m., there was no answer. Over the next several hours she called five or six times, texted and messaged on Facebook. She reached her father around 7:40 p.m. and asked him to check on things. He told her not to worry.
“He said let’s just wait a few minutes because I was just there and everything was totally fine,” she recalled.
After still hearing nothing around 8 p.m., she texted her father and asked him to go over. When he stopped answering too, the family contacted a brother-in-law, who entered the home while on the phone with them. Based on what he described, the family called police.
In the days that followed, her daughter suffered repeated nightmares.
“She would wake up just screaming,” she said, “and I would go and get her and brace myself for what she was about to tell me.”
She said her daughter was diagnosed with acute post-traumatic stress disorder and that the episodes continue today. Booth could be seen visibly distraught and holding back tears during that portion of the testimony.
When she was finally allowed back into her home, she said it was in disarray -- with Booth’s belongings scattered throughout.
“The only way I can describe it was like witchcraft type items,” she said. “There was sage and there were little vials with liquid in them.”
Detectives describe disturbing behavior, bloody photos found on victim’s phone
Royal Oak Police Detective Dan Pelletier testified he spoke with Booth while she was in custody. About 20 minutes into the conversation, he asked for her phone number. When he asked if she had a second number, he said her demeanor shifted.
“I then asked her for her email address and she started at a low volume and then started screaming her email address to me,” Pelletier testified. “And then she stood up and I said, are you okay? And then she put her hands out in front of her and started advancing toward me. I started to control her hands and she started screaming at me and moaning. It was very clear that she was sexually aroused at that point. She started thrusting her pelvis and hips toward me.”
Pelletier said he restrained Booth against the wall. He said she continued screaming and moaning and shouted “oh daddy” several times.
Royal Oak Police Detective Keith Bierenga testified he obtained a search warrant for the contents of David Ong’s phone, which was then forensically analyzed.
“There were numerous selfie photos of Samantha Booth and [the 2-year-old] that were taken after the murder as she was covered in blood,” Bierenga testified.
He said approximately six to eight photos were recovered from Ong’s phone, taken in the basement laundry room where the killing occurred.
Defense cites mental health crisis; case sent to trial
Booth’s attorney, Jim Amberg, argued there is no evidence of first-degree murder or premeditation, describing the circumstances as a “frenzy situation” in which Booth was experiencing a manic episode. Amberg said Booth was in a mental health crisis at the time.
Judge Kowalkowski disagreed and ordered Booth to stand trial on all charges.
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