Trial date set for woman accused in baby's burning death

A trial date has been set for a Louisiana woman accused in the burning death of a 6-month-old boy.

Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith will go on trial Jan. 19, 2021, news outlets reported citing 10th Judicial District Court Judge Desiree Duhon Dyess.

Smith is charged with first-degree murder in the July 2018 death of Levi Cole Ellerbe. The boy's mother, Hanna Nicole Barker, faces the death penalty on the same charge.

It's unclear whether Smith will face the death penalty. The two women are being tried separately.

Prosecutors say Barker asked Smith to kill Levi and then waited a few hours before calling 911 to report that her son had been kidnapped.

Smith is accused of dumping Levi in a ditch, coating him in gasoline and setting him ablaze. Levi was found with severe burns covering 90% of his body and later died.

During a hearing Tuesday, the defense worked to obtain DNA data from the state crime lab, the Alexandria Town Talk reported. Dyess had signed a subpoena for the evidence, but it hasn't been turned over.  

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