Aimee Cotton during her previous Edgartown District Court appearance.
Ray Ewing

Woman Charged with Manslaughter Violates Probation

Aimee Cotton was brought in front of a mainland judge this week after officials say she violated her probation.

The Oak Bluffs woman accused of manslaughter was brought in front of a mainland judge this week after officials say she violated her probation. 

Aimee Cotton was arrested in March after the two-year-old boy she was babysitting died. Police say Ms. Cotton left the child strapped in a car seat alone for several hours before he turned blue. Another young child was also left in the vehicle.

In Falmouth District Court on Monday, a judge found Ms. Cotton failed to stay away from the family of a victim on Sunday, breaking a court order, according to filings. The court docket did not explicitly say how the violation occurred, and Oak Bluffs police referred questions to the court. 

The court admonished Ms. Cotton, and allowed her out on her previously posted $21,000 bail. She was ordered to stay away from and have no contact with the victim’s family and witnesses in the case, wear a GPS monitor and comply with a curfew set by the court. 

The conditions also state that she cannot supervise children under the age of five, operate a daycare business or attend local lacrosse games.

Ms. Cotton’s case was transferred from Edgartown District Court, where she was arraigned on the manslaughter charge as well as assault and battery on a child with injury and reckless endangerment of a child, to Falmouth earlier this month due to a conflict of interest within the Vineyard district court staff.

A plea of not guilty was entered on Ms. Cotton’s behalf at the initial arraignments. She is due back in Falmouth court for a pretrial hearing on April 25. 

Ms. Cotton’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment this week.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/09/2025 - 14:08

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Lindsay Trance Martha's Vineyard

This is outrageous. She has been on probation for less than a month and has violated it already? Why was her probation not revoked? Shameful to say the very least.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/10/2025 - 18:09

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Theresa Massachusetts

Before I got clean & sober, I was thrown in jail immediately for failing a drug test and violating my probation!? I was sick. I never hurt, nevermind killed, anyone else but myself and rather than being "let go" to go to treatment, I was sent to state prison. For a minor probation and violation this girl is walking out free!?!? What is going on with this states judicial system? She should have been locked up on day one!

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