Husband Will Stand Trial For Abuse In Wife's Death

WARREN (WWJ/AP) - The husband of a 400-pound Detroit-area woman has been ordered to stand trial on an abuse charge in her death.

Authorities say 37-year-old Michael Brooks ignored Yolanda Reese-Brooks and let her fester in a bed surrounded by her own waste.

Wearing protective gear, emergency crews had to knock down a wall to extract Reese-Brooks from her 12 Mile Road apartment. The 40-year-old Warren woman died of morbid obesity and other injuries last month.

The Macomb County prosecutor's office says Brooks was his wife's primary caretaker after she sustained a crushed pelvis and ruptured bladder in a 2011 car accident.

Brooks is charged with second-degree abuse of a vulnerable adult. Prosecutor Eric Smith said Brooks' conduct was "shameful." Four children, including twin toddlers, are now are living with a relative.

Brooks waived his preliminary examination Monday, and a Warren judge ordered him to stand trial. His next court date is Dec. 17.

Authorities had initially reported Reese-Brooks' weight at 500 pounds, but that turned out to be an over-estimation.

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