Anthony and Marsha Springer, the father and adoptive mother of 16-year-old Calista Springer, have been arraigned on charges of Felony Murder, Torture and Child Abuse in the First Degree in connection with her death in a fire early last year.

The arraignments took place Tuesday (February 3rd) in 3-B District Court in Centreville.

The charges supersede the original homicide and child abuse charges on which they were arraigned on December 15th.

John McDonough, newly-installed as St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney, announced a change in the charges against Anthony and Marsha Springer in mid-January after reviewing the case with State Police Detective Mike Scott and the Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys in his office, saying he had decided that the new charges are “the most appropriate charges” in the case.

In a news release reporting the amended charges, McDonough said Felony Murder and Torture both carry penalties of up to life in prison while the Child Abuse in the First Degree charge is a fifteen-year felony.

During Tuesday’s arraignment proceedings, District Court Judge William Welty agreed to continue the $10,000 personal recognizance bonds set earlier for each of the defendants.

A new preliminary exam date has been set for Wednesday, March 25th, at 8:30 a.m. in District Court.

The charges are the result of an investigation initiated when Calista was found dead, chained to her bed, after a fire on February 27, 2008 at the home the family shared in Centreville.

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