NORTON SHORES, Mich. — The mother from Norton Shores convicted of murdering her 15-year-old son through abuse and neglect, has requested a new trial.
In December 2023 a jury found Shanda Vander Ark guilty of 1st-degree murder and child abuse for the death of her son Timothy Ferguson. The 15-year-old was found dead when officers arrived at their house on Marshall Road on July 6, 2022.
Vander Ark is currently scheduled to appear in court on July 25, 2025, for a motion hearing regarding her request for a new trial.
In a motion filed in Muskegon County Circuit Court, and obtained by Fox 17, Vander Ark claims she was not competent to stand trial and says she was not provided with effective counsel. The motion calls for the convictions to be vacated and a new trial or evidentiary hearing to be scheduled.
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