A South Florida mother charged in connection with the deaths of her 3-year-old twins who were found unresponsive inside a car on Interstate 95 pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday.
Shirlene Napoleon Alcime, 42, was arrested and booked into jail on Feb. 15 on two counts of child neglect causing great bodily harm, Miami-Dade Police officials said.
At an arraignment hearing Tuesday, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. It was also revealed that more charges could be possible, though prosecutors were waiting for toxicology reports to be completed before making a decision.
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Alcime had previously appeared in court by video conference from a hospital bed in jail on Feb. 16, where Judge Mindy Glazer ordered her held without bond.
"I am holding you with no bond on count one, for the child abuse, count two for child abuse, although I think there may be a probable cause for murder as well, but that's up to the state to file that charge," Glazer said.
"She's talking about murder…" Alcime started to say, before her public defender cut her off and told her not to discuss the case.
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"That arrest affidavit, it looks like you killed your children and you then tried to kill yourself, so that's why there may be probable cause for different charges but it's up to the state's attorney," Glazer responded.
According to an arrest report, Alcime told investigators she'd been plotting to kill the two children and herself for the previous two months, "due to her current financial status and multiple debt(s) that she owes."
NBC6 learned Alcime owned several businesses in South Florida and she and her family faced several eviction cases over the last two years.
The arrest report said Alcime drove around with the twins throughout the day on Feb. 1, looking for a bridge to jump from.
She finally decided on the I-95 overpass, where she parked her silver Toyota Highlander in the northbound lanes near the Florida's Turnpike Extension early on Feb. 2.
"The defendant admitted to contemplating jumping off the bridge with both victims or throwing them off one by one and then jumping to end their lives," the report said.
According to the report, a tow truck driver happened to be passing and saw Alcime outside her vehicle and stopped to help her.
Alcime told the driver to call 911 because her children were unresponsive, and as he called 911 he removed the boy from his car seat and started to give him CPR.
The driver told Alcime to remove the girl from her car seat and give her CPR, but as first responders were approaching with lights and sirens blaring, Alcime walked away and threw herself off the overpass, the report said.
"The defendant admitted to walking away while both victims were foaming at the mouth, once she heard the police sirens. The defendant then jumped over the overpass bridge landing on the ground beneath to end her life."
Alcime fell from a considerable height and was taken to the hospital.
The three-year-old fraternal twins, a girl and boy identified as Milendhet and Milendhere G. Napoleon-Cadet, were found unresponsive inside the vehicle. Both were foaming from the mouth and nose, the arrest report said.
They were taken to a local hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
Alcime was asked what she gave the twins to ingest that caused them to foam at the mouth and become unresponsive, but denied giving them anything and said she didn't know what happened, the report said.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner is still working to determine the twins' cause of death.
Another hearing is scheduled for March 6 to determine whether Alcime will stay behind bars while she awaits trial.
