Judge refuses to lower bond for Sherin Mathews' mother

DALLAS - A Dallas County judge on Thursday denied a request to lower the bond for the Richardson woman whose adopted special needs daughter was murdered.

Sini Mathews was arrested and charged with child abonnement after allegedly leaving her 3-year-old daughter, Sherin, home alone in October of 2017. Her husband, Wesley Mathews, is accused of killing the little girl.

Sherin’s body was found in a culvert near the family’s Richardson home. Her parents originally claimed she was missing. They later admitted leaving her home alone while they went out to eat on the night of her death. Wesley now claims Sherin died after choking on milk. He admitted to putting her body in the culvert.

Sini’s bond has been reduced once before from $250,000 to $100,000, but she has remained in the Dallas County jail for the past 14 months.

Her attorneys only called one witness on her behalf on Thursday, her private investigator. The attorneys told the court Mathews' family and friends don't want to testify, fearing retaliation. 

"The powers to be would be the Indian government. Who has revoked some visas and threatened some dual citizenship,” said Philip Parker, Sini’s attorney.

Prosecutors argued Sini Mathews is a flight risk, with ties to two foreign countries and no family in North Texas. They pointed to November 2017 -- weeks after Sherin's death -- Matthews was trying to get shot records for her other child. 

"She has shown, right before she was arrested that she was planning on leaving the country,” said Jason Fine, assistant district attorney.

Her attorneys were asking for bond to be reduced again -- drastically to $2,500. Dallas County Judge Amber Givens-Davis ruled that it should stay at $100,000.

Wesley’s capital murder trial is set for May. Prosecutors are planning to try Sini and Wesley Mathews together, something Sini's attorneys plan to fight.

Former chief prosecutor Toby Shook, who does not represent anyone in the case, says the state could be trying to get Sini to cooperate and testify against her husband or perhaps the state believes it has better chance of conviction trying the couple together.

"I would not want to be at the same table in a trial, because I'd be afraid, the jury is going to hold it against me for whatever he did,” Shook said.

A hearing is set for February 4 to determin whether Sini and Wesley will be tried together.