Trial Scheduled for North Adams Woman Accused of Killing Grandmother
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A 2027 trial date is scheduled for a woman accused of killing her grandmother in North Adams four years ago.
A jury trial for Kelsie Cote is set for May 24, 2027, in Berkshire Superior Court.
Cote, 30, is alleged to have killed 74-year-old Doris A. Cote, who was found dead with sharp and blunt force injuries in her Church Street, North Adams, home on Nov. 1, 2022.
Cote has pleaded not guilty to five felony charges: murder, armed assault to murder a person age 60 or older, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon of a person age 60 or older, and one count of withholding evidence from official proceedings.
Hearings for evidence suppression will be held on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
A conference to review the case's status was held on Sept. 28. Assistant District Attorney Marianne Shelvey, representing the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office, filed a motion to impound certain documents, which was allowed by Judge Maureen Hogan.
Cote is represented by attorney Kevin Joseph Reddington, who is also the defense lawyer for Lindsay Clancy, a Duxbury woman accused of killing her three children in 2023. Cote's case has reportedly been delayed because of the seven-week Clancy trial in Plymouth County, which ended in a mistrial on Sept. 4.
The Berkshire Eagle reported that Reddington told the court he seeks to suppress Cote's statements because he argues she was not read her Miranda rights, and that he will file motions to suppress evidence found during the execution of a search warrant, arguing that the police did not have probable cause.
Allegations include:
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On or about Oct. 26 and on Nov. 1, Cote allegedly altered, destroyed, mutilated, or concealed a record, document, or other object or attempted to do so to impair the record, document, or object's integrity for use in an official proceeding.
- On or between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, Cote allegedly assaulted and beat her grandmother with a paperweight and scissors, assaulted her with scissors with the intent to murder, and by such assault did kill her in her home at 300 Church St.
During police interviews before her arrest, Cote said she panicked upon finding her grandmother's body and did not call for help right away. Police also reported that Cote admitted to cleaning up the scene.
The affidavit includes a photocopy of Doris Cote's will that names Kelsie Cote as an heir to more than $1,000,000.
Tags: murder, trial,
