(WXYZ) — Four people charged in connection with a 5-year-old boy's death in a hyperbaric chamber explosion in Troy will have to wait a while longer to find out if they will stand trial.
Watch Carli Petrus's video report:
A judge said Tuesday that she needs more time to decide whether to bind over the case.
Tamela Peterson, the owner of the Oxford Center, is charged with second-degree murder, along with safety manager Jeffrey Mosteller and primary management assistant Gary Marken. Aleta Moffit, the operator of the hyperbaric chamber, faces multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter.
Watch below: Four people arrested in hyperbaric chamber explosion that killed boy
The preliminary exam has gone on for several days, and on Tuesday, prosecutors and defense attorneys made their final arguments.
During the hearing last week, former Oxford Center employee Andrew McMullen testified about safety procedures and the company's culture. McMullen worked at the South Lyon and Brighton locations from 2017 to 2021.
McMullen described concerns he had about static electricity he observed inside the chambers while cleaning them. Static, that could result in a fire.
"I went to Tammy's office and asked her specifically if there's anything we could do to mitigate the static and I brought up as well a situation where I noticed a child's hair was standing up," McMullen said.
When asked about fire safety training by prosecutors, McMullen revealed gaps in emergency procedures.
"Fire? It was mainly dealing with containment with other people in the room. When it comes to a monoplane chamber fire, you can't really do much for the person in the chamber that's on fire," McMullen said.
Defense attorneys pointed out that McMullen was not working at the location where the incident occurred or during the year it happened, arguing that culture and safety procedures had changed at the company since he left.
Prosecutors argue the owners and employees could have prevented the tragedy that took Thomas Cooper's life.
