Mom Pleads Guilty In Death of Son to 'Make Room' for Baby with Boyfriend, Says He Asked Her to 'Take Fall'

Last Wednesday, Maison formally pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in the brutal death of her son, who authorities believe was "systematically abused" for years by both Maison and Houle. An autopsy ruled his cause of death blunt force trauma and possible suffocation, per CrimeOnline.

During her plea hearing, Maison told the judge that she and Houle had been involved for about two years, from 2016 until the death of Matthew Maison at three-and-a-half years old, per a press release from the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office.

She alleged that both she and Houle "physically abused Matthew during their relationship," confessing at one point, as detailed in the release, that she "pushed Matthew’s head into a wall in their home, during a 'military time out.'"

In a previous interview with Houle, he allegedly admitted to making Matthew do what he called "military time-outs," per Law&Crime's coverage, which would see the young child kneel in front of a wall with his hands on his head.

In addition to her physical role in the abuse of Matthew, Maison further admitted that she "willfully and wantonly allowed an environment to exist, where Matthew would be systemically abused, and that those abuses eventually resulted in Matthew’s death."

She did not, however, admit to committing or witnessing any violence against her son on February 19, 2018, the night of his death, notes the Times Herald. She did, though, say that Houle asked her to "take the fall" for her son's death so that he could avoid prison time.

After his death, the release states that Maison admitted to working with Houle "in actively contriving a plan to conceal the manner of Matthew’s death from law enforcement."

She further admitted "that she willingly participated in the intentional concealment of Matthew’s injuries to Child Protective Services and Law Enforcement investigations from 2016 through the 2018 murder investigation," per the release.

As part of her plea deal, Maison agreed to "truthful testimony" against Houle at his trial, which is expected to begin in early 2026, per the sheriff's office. She was remanded to St. Clair County Jail until her sentencing, where she will face the possibility of life in prison. According to court records reviewed by The Detroit News, sentencing will not occur until after Houle's trial is completed.

"Thank you to the many law enforcement officers, family members, and others for bringing us to this day. Matthew is finally beginning to get the justice he deserves," said Sheriff Mat King in his department's statement. "The dedication to this case is unmatched. Although this is not the end, I am confident justice will be served."

Matthew's grandparents, David and Amy Maison, have been pushing for charges and justice for years on Facebook and in the media. They called the plea "a significant step forward in holding those responsible accountable for their actions and ensuring the truth is finally told," on their Justice for Matthew Maison Facebook page, as cited by The Detroit News.

"We understand that some may agree and others may not, but Amy and I have found peace and acceptance with this progress," David posted. "It’s allowed us to finally take a breath. The battle is not over, but we believe that accountability and truth will always lead the way."

"We don't have closure yet, but what we did, we did for Matthew," said St. Clair County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Sparling, per the Times Herald. "I think we did right by him today. He deserves no less."

Maison and Houle were initially arrested on April 11, 2025, more than seven years after the death of Matthew. The arrests came after what authorities called "significant recent developments" in the case.

At is arraignment the following Monday, Houle was additionally charged with three counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer during his arrest. Detroit's WDIV reports that he was allegedly "extremely violent and fought eight different officers, injuring one of them."

Matthew was found dead on his bed in the family's home on February 8, 2018, with prosecutors ultimately believing that Maison and Houle had come up with a story to explain some of Matthew's previous injuries that they knew would be discovered. Investigators also believed Houle's mother may have been involved in this alleged "scheme of lies," per WDIV.

Sparling said earlier this year that the lengthy investigation into the short life and death of Matthew has led prosecutors to believe he "suffered years of abuse at the hands of both defendants."

Sparling detailed some of the allegations of "very cruel, torturous abuse and punishment," which allegedly included Matthew being put in timeout on his knees and having his head banged off of the drywall, being struck across the face by Houle, and being locked in his room for hours without food or water.

He cited one specific alleged incident where he claims Houle put a pillow over the toddler's face and "pretended like he was playing," per WDIV's reporting. But, "we know from the autopsy that Matthew died from blunt force trauma from all of the injuries he sustained as well as suffocation," argued Sparling.

"It is my opinion that Matthew Maison died secondary to blunt traumatic injuries with features of asphyxiation," stated  the St. Clair County medical examiner, Daniel Spitz, in his autopsy report. "The extent, severity, and distribution of the traumatic injuries is indicative of inflicted trauma."

In his initial argument against bail, Sparling emphasized that Houle had been the subject of multiple CPS investigations throughout his relationship with Maison over injuries Matthew had sustained. Sparling also noted in court back in April that each defendant had independently "admitted" that Matthew had been abused -- by the other defendant.

Amanda Maison told investigators at the time that she had seen Houle hold a pillow over Matthew's face on more than one occasion, according to Sparling. The defendant allegedly told investigators she never took Matthew to doctor's appointments because she didn't want them to notice his injuries.

Maison is accused by prosecutors of covering up the abuse of her son by both Houle and herself for years, ultimately admitting to prosecutors, per Sparling in court, that she would shove Matthew's head into the wall "forceful enough to remove the backing of the drywall itself."

Perhaps the most shocking allegation was Sparling's assertion that the then-couple had concocted a "plan that was put forth to kill Matthew to make room for a child the two of them could have together."

Law&Crime notes that the judge said he would allow testimonial evidence by the prosecutors that before Matthew's death, Maison had become pregnant with Houle's child, but that the couple had mutually decided to have an abortion because they could not afford the additional expense of another baby.