Obese Murder Suspect Can’t Appear in Court, Lawyer Says

Trial appearances for a Texas murder suspect will have to be in a building separate from the courthouse because of her obesity, her lawyer said yesterday.

Mayra Rosales of Hidalgo County suffers from a rare thyroid disease that causes her to weigh between 800 and 1,000 pounds. She was arrested and charged at home because the county lacked a large enough lockup and vehicle to transport her there, the San Antonio-News Express reports.

She has been charged with the murder of her 2-year-old nephew. He died of injuries that included a crushed skull while he was in her home.

Lawyer Sergio Valdez said trial appearances for Rosales will have to be held in a separate building, where she will also have to be housed and receive medical care, the News-Express story says. Valdez told the court that Rosales was in danger of dying because the state had cut off her medical aid.

Valdez also said that Rosales is in talks with a documentary film company that wants to tell her story, the Monitor reports.