Gran, 50, appears in court charged with murdering grandson, 5, while she was caring for him
A GRANDMOTHER charged with the murder of her five-year-old grandson will face trial in June.
Elena Anghel is accused of killing little David-Mario Lazar while he was in her care in January last year.
She appeared before Warwick Crown Court via video-link today but was not required to enter a plea.
Anghel, from Coventry, was detained under the Mental Health Act after David-Mario died from a stab wound at his home in Earlsdon on January 25, 2022.
The 50-year-old, who has been remanded to a secure facility pending her trial, was assisted by an interpreter during an 11-minute hearing.
Judge Andrew Lockhart KC heard submissions from counsel before adjourning the case until April 5.
A trial before a High Court judge is expected to begin on June 19.
David-Mario was being looked after by Anghel while his parents Cristina and Dorinel were at work, friends say.
Paying tribute to the youngster following the horror, his mum and dad described him as a “very happy boy”.
“Our son, he was the most beautiful child in the world,” they said.
“He was always smiling from when he woke up to when he went to sleep.
“He had so much energy. He loved to dance and sing.
“He is all of our hearts, all our love and is everything to both of us.”
His final school report called him a “lovely” pupil who had made a “super start” to life and had started to excel in sport.
A post mortem confirmed that David-Mario died from stab wounds.