Defendant was detained on UCLA campus before police discovered the child at Santa Monica residence.
Murder charges were formally contested Thursday by a Santa Monica woman accused in the death of her 17-month-old daughter.
Carmen Degregg, 24, entered a not guilty plea during a Los Angeles court appearance in connection with the child’s death. The case stems from an incident earlier this month that began on the UCLA campus and ended with the discovery of the toddler at a Santa Monica apartment.
University police detained Degregg on Jan. 6 after encountering her on campus, where authorities say she was wandering and making statements indicating she had harmed her child. During the interaction, she told officers her daughter was at an apartment in Santa Monica.
Officers from the Santa Monica Police Department were dispatched to the residence in the 2000 block of Broadway. Inside, they found the toddler suffering from what officials described as significant injuries.
Paramedics transported the child to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. If convicted as charged, Degregg faces up to 25 years to life in state prison.
