Trial underway for Ohio woman accused of killing foster son, leaving body in storm drain

Monday marked day one in the trial of the foster mother accused of killing her foster son.

Watch scenes from the trial below:

Pammy Maye is accused of strangling her foster son, Darnell Taylor, to death in his bedroom and then tossing his body in a storm drain in Columbus in 2024.

The 51-year-old is charged with aggravated murder, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse in the death of the little boy.

"February 13th of 2024, Pammy Maye was upset with Darnell for sneaking a granola bar and peanut butter crackers into his bed for a snack," said Assistant Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Kathryn Wolfe.

"And that she decided it was at that, at that time, she decided she was going to take his life," said Wolfe.

Maye's attorney says the case is not a trial on guilt but on mental competency.

"Because we're talking unfortunately about a woman who is deeply and profoundly mentally ill," said defense attorney Sam Shamansky.

Maye was found incompetent to stand trial last year and was sent to a psychiatric facility for treatment. The court later ruled she was able to stand trial.

This case started in February 2024, when a 911 call from her husband touched off an Amber Alert. That call was played in court on Monday.

"Your wife just told you what?" the 911 operator said.

"That, that she killed our foster child. She just told me she killed her foster child," Maye's husband, Jabrell Maye, said in that call.

"She just told me she killed our foster child," he added.

Two days later, Maye's Jeep was found in Northeast Ohio. She wandered into a Brooklyn business. A Brooklyn police officer took the stand, and the jury saw his body camera video. Body camera footage from a Columbus detective in Cleveland, taken when Maye was in a hospital in Northeast Ohio, was also shown in court.

"Even though I'm feeling bad and my right foot is aching and my back, it don't feel good, but it don't make no difference when my son don't have life," Maye said on that video.

Police said Maye led them to the little boy's body in a storm drain in Columbus.

"And I know what I was doing. It's not like I'm stupid. Just so that man in evil. Of course I knew that was wrong. And of course I did snap," Maye said.

Maye was given custody of the little boy after his grandparents, who had been taking care of him, said it had become too much. His grandmother took the stand and told the jury Maye was a close friend.