Diana Cojocari, the mother of missing Madalina Cojocari, refused to appear Friday for her scheduled arraignment on charges of failing to report her daughter missing
As the court convened, Judge Donald Cureton confirmed that Cojocari was not in attendance. Her attorneys requested “no action” be taken, and within minutes, the hearing was adjourned.
“It’s honestly confusing and vexing,” Beth Greene, a former prosecutor said.
Greene speculated that Cojocari and her attorneys may have been negotiating a plea deal, but she changed her mind at the last minute.
“Had [the defense attorneys] known she wouldn’t appear, they wouldn’t have wasted everyone’s time,” Greene explained.
Cojocari has been behind bars for over a year, and entering a plea could have offered her a chance for release on time served.
“I think any of us reasonably would be like, why wouldn’t you want to do that?” Greene said. “But you know, perhaps she’s scared. Perhaps there’s a circumstance out there, in the case in the investigation, that none of us know about that is causing her to be fearful.”
Greene said it’s important to remember that outside the legal process, there’s still a very human decision having to be made here.
“If she, in fact, was going to plead guilty and say, ‘As a mother, I failed my child,’ I mean, that’s still an admission of guilt that she has to emotionally and mentally get through to stand up in court in front of a judge,” she said.
As of now, neither Cojocari’s legal team nor the prosecution have offered any information on their next steps. It remains unclear whether she will attempt another arraignment or pursue a different strategy.
The search for Madalina Cojocari continues and this latest development adds yet another twist to the already agonizing wait for answers. WBTV will continue to provide updates as they become available.
