Michigan Mother Admits to Killing Son, Agrees to Testify Against Abusive Boyfriend in Court
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mich. — A tragic six-year-old case from Port Huron Township has reached a turning point as a Michigan mother admitted responsibility for the death of her 3-year-old son and agreed to testify against her former boyfriend.
On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Amanda Mae Maison, 33, appeared virtually before Judge Daniel J. Kelly in St. Clair County’s 31st Circuit Court, where she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the 2018 death of her young son, Matthew Maison. The plea marks the first major development in a case that has haunted the community for years.
According to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, Maison entered into a plea agreement in which she accepted full accountability for her role in Matthew’s death and pledged to cooperate with prosecutors by testifying against her co-defendant, Maurice Houle. Houle, who was Maison’s boyfriend at the time, faces a first-degree murder charge and remains in custody at the St. Clair County Jail.
During the plea hearing, Maison described her relationship with Houle as abusive and toxic, lasting from 2016 until the day Matthew passed in February 2018. She admitted that Houle repeatedly harmed the child and that she herself participated in acts of abuse. The mother acknowledged that she concealed her son’s injuries from Child Protective Services and law enforcement, even during previous investigations into suspected neglect.
Maison confessed that one of the final acts of violence occurred when she shoved her son’s head into a wall during what she described as a “military-style timeout.” The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office reported that Maison admitted to “willfully allowing an environment of systematic abuse,” which ultimately led to Matthew’s death.
Investigators said that Maison and Houle later collaborated on a plan to conceal the true circumstances of how Matthew died. The child was found unresponsive at their Port Huron Township home on February 18, 2018. His autopsy revealed severe blunt force trauma and possible suffocation.
The case, which went unsolved for more than seven years, was revived earlier this year after new evidence and testimony emerged. In April 2025, both Maison and Houle were arrested and charged with first-degree murder following a renewed investigation by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Sparling described during earlier hearings the horrifying pattern of abuse Matthew endured, including being locked in his room for long periods without food or water and suffering repeated head injuries.
Maison now faces up to life in prison for second-degree murder. Her sentencing date will be scheduled after she fulfills the terms of her cooperation agreement, which may include testifying against Houle if his case proceeds to trial in early 2026.
Sheriff Mat King praised the investigators and the persistence of those who refused to let Matthew’s case be forgotten. “Matthew is finally beginning to get the justice he deserves,” King said. “Although this is not the end, I am confident justice will be served.”
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