Man accused of killing 1-year-old boy returns to court later this month

The 34-year-old Ypsilanti Township man accused of killing a 1-year-old boy in October will return to court for a preliminary exam later this month.

Michael Curtiss

Michael Curtiss is charged with open murder and first-degree child abuse for the death of Chase Miller. Curtiss was babysitting Chase on Oct. 21 when he died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Curtiss will be back in court at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 21 at the 14A-1 District Court in Pittsfield Township, according to jail records. The hearing is being held on a Friday, which typically indicates testimony will be heard in the case to allow a judge to determine if the charges should be bound over to trial.

Curtiss is also charged with possessing less than 25 grams of heroin. The drug was allegedly found in his possession when police responded to the home in the 1100 block of Fall River Road. It’s unknown if Curtiss was high at the time of Chase’s death.

According to police, Curtiss was romantically involved with Chase’s mother. Police have also confirmed Curtiss’ 6-year-old son was in the house at the time of Chase’s death.

If convicted, Curtiss faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the charges of open murder and first-degree child abuse. He’s being held in the Washtenaw County Jail without bond.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.