Mom accused of killing 5-month-old son waives court appearance

The Bronx mother accused of killing her 5-month-old son waived her right to appear in court Friday.
Joann McLeod is charged with murder and two counts of manslaughter. According to a criminal complaint, the 30-year-old told a social worker at the time of her arrest that she shook her 5-month-old, slammed his head against a wall several times and deliberately left her apartment not seeking medical attention for at least an hour after realizing her baby was unresponsive.
According to an autopsy report, the child had acute injuries that included several skull fractures and swelling and bleeding to the brain.
On Friday, McLeod was scheduled to stand before a judge, but her lawyer waived her right to appear and objected in open court to the media taking pictures of her.
News 12 caught up with several of the defendant's friends and relatives outside of court, but they refused to talk about what happened.
McLeod's three older children were taken away from her by the city's Administration for Children's Services eight years ago. Last week, her 1-year-old daughter was removed from the home as ACS conducts an active investigation into the latest case.
McLeod is scheduled to be back in court July 2.