By Shereen Siewert
Trial dates for a former Wausau woman accused in the death of her adopted child have been shifted to allow time for arguments over expert witness testimony, according to online court records.
Sumitra Stolp, 37, is being tried on charges of first-degree reckless homicide, chronic child neglect and obstruction. Stolp and her former husband, 42-year-old Jonathan Stolp, adopted the 5-year-old girl just six weeks before her death. The girl died in August 2021, 10 days after being hospitalized for a skull fracture and brain bleed, police said.
A five-day jury trial had been set for March 18. But during a motion hearing Jan. 31, that changed after a judge ordered attorneys on both sides to provide written arguments as part of a Daubert motion. The “Daubert Standard” provides a systematic framework for a trial court judge to assess the reliability and relevance of expert witness testimony before it is presented to a jury, according to Cornell University’s legal information institute.
Pediatric specialists in Marshfield said the child had a significant skull fracture that wrapped around both sides of her head, injuries that appeared consistent with non-accidental trauma such as shaking or slamming. The girl also had a fractured right foot and was given six times the recommended dose of Tylenol along with Nyquil, according to the doctor’s report included in court documents.
Jonathan Stolp, who was convicted of child neglect and obstruction, settled his case and was sentenced in March. In that case, Circuit Judge Scott Corbett ordered a withheld sentence with a total of three years of probation and 10 months in jail. In a withheld sentence, defendants can be forced to return to court and be sentenced for their original crime if they are not successful on probation.
Attorneys in the Sumitra Stolp case will resume their arguments during a motion hearing in August. A trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 14.
Sumitra Stolp, who now lists an Eau Claire address, is free on a $75,000 cash bond.
