Acupuncturist mom sobs in court as she pleads not guilty to murdering her two young children at $1.5m New England home while going through nasty divorce

Janette MacAusland, 49, pleaded not guilty to two first-degree murder charges at a Massachusetts court hearing, where she sobbed throughout the arraignment. She is accused of killing her children during a divorce and custody dispute; the case has also drawn attention to her reported history of mental health struggles.

Her son Kai, seven, and daughter Ella, six, died in April at the family’s Wellesley home. Autopsies found strangulation and the combined effects of several substances. MacAusland is being held without bail and could face life in prison without parole if convicted. Her lawyer said he was reviewing about 2,000 pages of evidence, and her next court appearance is scheduled for 16 December.