Mom of kids found in freezer: 'I did kill her'

When a Detroit mother accused of killing two of her children and stashing their bodies in the deep freezer started yelling in court Thursday, she was warned the trial could— and would— go on without her.

But it didn't stop Mitchelle Blair's outburst aimed at the fathers of her children.

"I did it! I never tried to say I didn't. I did it!" she yelled. "But that does not negate the fact that they were never there for their children."

Her words came during the first day of a trial in the custody case involving her two living children, ages 8 and 17.

It was the third time during the day that Blair referenced what happened to her children, Stoni Blair and Stephen Berry. Their bodies were discovered at the Martin Luther King Apartments in Detroit by a crew carrying out an eviction notice on March 24.

"Yes, I did kill her!" Blair said earlier in the day, as she was being escorted out of the courtroom during another outburst.

Blair, who wore red jail garb and sat with her wrists handcuffed, returned to the Detroit courtroom with tears in her eyes.

WARNING: This video contains explicit language that could be deemed offensive. Viewer discretion is advised.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is seeking to terminate the parental rights of Blair, as well as the parental rights of their fathers, Steven Berry and Alexander Dorsey, both of whom were in court and are fighting to keep their rights.

Assistant Attorney General Kelli Megyesi argued it's in the best interest of the 8- and 17-year-old to terminate the parental rights of all three, saying evidence will show they don't have the "conduct or the capacity" to parent them.

"The words abusive and neglectful are too simple," Megyesi said during her opening statement. "They are too weak."

She said words such as "torture, terror, psychological dehumanization, physical dehumanization, desertion, abandonment" describe what the children endured.

Blair was directly responsible, but Dorsey—the father of Stoni and the 17-year-old-girl —and Berry— the father of Stephen and the 8-year-old boy — were indirectly responsible and "failed to protect" their children, Megyesi said.

Berry's attorney, Laura Anderson, told the court her client was "manipulated by the mother just as everyone around her was," and said there is no evidence that he knew about the abuse.

Dorsey's attorney, Adam Devlin, argued his client didn't abandoned his children and made a complaint to Children's Protective Services (CPS) because of suspected abusive behavior. He said "these agencies returned the children to (Blair) almost immediately."

Dorsey was the first, and only, witness to take the stand Thursday in the Lincoln Hall of Justice in Detroit.

He said when his girls were visiting him in 2005, he saw "whip marks" on their backs and it concerned him. It led to a complaint with CPS, and after that, he had to visit his girls at their Detroit home, he said.

Dorsey, who wore a suit and tie and sat with his hands clasped in front of his body as he testified, said he had concerns with his children living with their mother but never talked to Blair about how the marks got on his daughters' bodies.

"I didn't want to start no arguments," Dorsey said.

He said the last time he saw Stoni was on her birthday in 2012, but he continued to have contact with his oldest daughter.

"You didn't think anything was suspicious or bizarre about (the oldest daughter) being the only one you ever saw?" Megyesi asked. "No," Dorsey replied.

He said he was told she was with a relative and also said he didn't know about any mental health issues with Blair.

Dorsey, who lives with his mother and is unemployed, acknowledged he owes more than $37,000 in child support and said sometimes he couldn't afford the $1.75 bus fare to visit his children. It was "too far to walk," he said.

Dorsey testified sometimes he would provide clothing or give food and cash to support his children, but was not reporting it to the court.

Testimony in the case will continue Friday morning before Wayne County Circuit Judge Edward Joseph.

Earlier in the day, an interview recorded on video with the Kids-TALK Children's Advocacy Center and Blair's 8-year-old son was played in court. It was conducted the same day his siblings' bodies were discovered.

How do you know Stoni and Stephen were killed, the boy was asked during the interview.

"Cause I saw it," he replied.

As Judge Joseph was summarizing what the child said after the interview played, Blair interjected.

"He didn't see me kill Stephen because it was unintentional," she said.

During the interview, the boy spoke about abuse in the home that he, along with his three siblings, endured from their mother.

The boy said Stoni was put in the shower, choked and had alcohol put on her by her mom because "she was mad." Stephen was beaten, he said.

His 17-year-old older sister, who is in the care a relative with him, was hit on the head with a hammer, and he was hit with cords and had marks on his back.

The boy, who would have been six when he siblings died, also indicated he was abused by his siblings who were killed.

According to a petition in the case, Blair is accused of killing Stephen in 2012, when he was 9, and Stoni in 2013, when she was 13.

The boy said he thought his mother should "go to jail" during the interview.

Both fathers are currently allowed supervised visitation with their children.

After the trial finished for the day, Dorsey said he doesn't think his rights should be terminated because he's her father and "didn't do anything wrong." Berry declined to comment.

In a separate criminal case, Blair faces charges of felony murder, first-degree premeditated murder, torture and child-abuse and is being held in the Wayne County Jail. She is due back in court June 19 in that case.

Contact Elisha Anderson: eanderson@freepress.com