Shawna Gatto, 43, of Wiscasset, accused murderer of Kendall Chick, 4, of Wiscasset, was denied a motion to suppress statements she made to police in the days after Chick's death.

In court Aug. 30, Gatto made the request on the grounds she was in custody and hadn’t been read her Miranda rights and therefore should not have been interrogated.

In his order, Judge William Stokes said audio and video recordings police made clearly indicate Gatto was free to leave at any time, and had been Mirandized.

A second motion, to enter evidence to impeach the credibility of medical examiner Mark Flomenbaum, owing to his termination from previous employment, has not been decided and will be determined closer to trial.

Gatto has opted for a bench trial, set to start Jan. 24 at Lincoln County Courthouse and last until Feb. 1.