CLEVELAND – A woman accused of drowning her two daughters in a bathtub wept in court Wednesday when a prosecutor noted the severity of the crimes and the ages of the children in asking for the highest possible bond.
Amber Hill, 22, charged with two counts of aggravated murder, kept her head bowed throughout the hearing in Cleveland Municipal Court. Her face contorted and she cried when assistant city prosecutor Gayle Williams said, "The victims being 4 and 2 years of age represent perhaps the most vulnerable in our society. They deserved the right to be protected."
Judge Lauren Moore set Hill's bond at $2 million — $1 million for each child. Hill made no comment at the brief hearing and did not enter a plea.
Hill wore a black jail overall made out of paper that is issued to inmates on suicide watch. The judge suggested Hill receive medical and psychological treatment after she is sent from the city jail to the county jail Wednesday.
Hill was represented by public defender Kathy Demetz, who told the judge that Hill has no prior criminal record, is a student and is in medical and psychiatric need.
On Monday, Hill called the girls' father and told him that the children "are at peace," police said, and he found them in the bathtub at their apartment home. A coroner ruled Tuesday that the deaths were homicides.
Hill had no documented history of neglecting the girls, but had herself been the victim of abuse by their father, Jamie Cintron, according to authorities and court records.