PORTLAND — Family members of missing toddler Ayla Reynolds confronted each other angrily at Cumberland County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Justin DiPietro, the father of Ayla Reynolds, appeared in Superior Court for charges of assault and violating conditions of release. The charges were unrelated to Ayla’s disappearance. He pleaded guilty to the violating conditions of release charge and the assault charge was dismissed. He was ordered to pay a $150 fine and serve four days in jail, but was credited with time served.
Phoebe DiPietro, Justin’s mother, clashed outside the courtroom with Ron Reynolds, the maternal grandfather of Ayla Reynolds.
DiPietro, Ayla’s paternal grandmother, uttered an expletive to Reynolds as he walked out of the courtroom.
“Did you say something to me? Your son killed my granddaughter,” Reynolds yelled at DiPietro before being intercepted by bailiffs. It was the first of two confrontations between the two.
Trista Reynolds, Ayla’s mother, held a short press conference outside the courthouse prior to Justin DiPietro’s appearance before the judge. She called attention to her dissatisfaction with police’s investigation of the case of her missing daughter.
Ayla Reynolds’ mother confronts father of missing child outside courthouse
PORTLAND (AP) — The mother of a missing Maine toddler and her supporters screamed at the girl’s father after a court hearing in which he pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge.
Justin DiPietro, father of Ayla Reynolds, was sentenced Wednesday to four days in jail for violating conditions of his release on an assault charge.
As he walked out of the Portland courthouse with his lawyer, Trista Reynolds and about a dozen supporters started running after him.
DiPietro and his court-appointed lawyer, Gerard Conley Jr., ducked into the police station where the crowd surrounded them. They called him names, including “murderer” and shouted “Where’s Ayla?”
DiPietro looked away and stayed composed until he eventually took off running as Reynolds and her father gave chase.
Ayla Reynolds disappeared in December 2011. She’s presumed dead.
-
- Trista Reynolds, mother of missing toddler Ayla Reynolds, yells at Phoebe DePietro, Ayla’s paternal grandmother, outside Cumberland County Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon. Both women accused the other of knowing what happened to the the little girl.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.