BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The adoptive parents of two California boys who were reported missing in 2020 pleaded not guilty Thursday to killing them.Trezell West, 35, and Jacqueline West, 32, entered pleas in a Bakersfield courtroom to two counts of second-degree murder, two felony counts of willful cruelty to a child and a misdemeanor charge of making a false report of an emergency.
They could face 30 years to life in prison if convicted.They were ordered held without bail, with the judge calling them "a significant and substantial risk to public safety."RELATED: Adoptive parents charged with killing two California boys before reporting them missing, DA says"Just knowing that they are handcuffed and they aren’t leaving is a blessing," Rosanna Willis, a cousin to the missing boys, told KERO-TV. "I could finally get some sleep now, you know, knowing they’re not out just running.
So it’s a lot of relief on our family."The Wests were indicted by a grand jury and arrested Tuesday night. Their trial is tentatively set for May 23.Their sons Orrin West, 4, and Orson West, 3, were reported missing from their family’s backyard in the desert town of California City on Dec.
21, 2020. A huge search by law enforcement agencies and community members failed to find them.Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter.