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Nov. 13, 2002
By JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS
Staff writer
On the first day of her murder trial in Ottawa County Circuit Court, Tracy Camburn prayed for her dead children and
the man prosecuting her for their deaths.
Camburn, 39, of Zeeland, killed her young daughters on Sept. 10, 2001. Her attorney says she was legally insane at
the time of the killings, and will be asking a jury for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.
The prosecution alleges the murders were premeditated.
On Tuesday morning, Camburn appeared relaxed and prepared for the days ahead. The trial is expected to last three
weeks.
Before jury selection began, the court heard a motion on photographic evidence in the case.
When the hearing concluded, a dozen people filed into the courtroom just behind the railing near Camburn.
Her family and friends wanted to say hello and let her know they will be there for her. They showered her with supportive
comments, primarily related to her appearance.
"You look beautiful, girl," one woman said enthusiastically. Other compliments about how she looked included
words like "cute" and "awesome."
Someone noticed that she'd curled her hair.
Camburn's face lit up when she saw the group. She was animated, talkative, smiling and waving.
She looks thinner and softer than the image she projected at the time of her arrest on the night of Sept. 10, 2001.
Gone is the bleached blonde, straw-like hair and sullen, nearly emotionless face captured by courtroom video and news
photographers.
On Tuesday she wore a silver and black blazer and black slacks, her light brown hair trimmed at shoulder length.
"It's better than the jail look," Camburn joked, with a jail matron standing nearby. The accused murderer
has been incarcerated without bond since her arrest 14 months ago. She's spent her time at the Kent County Jail and the Ottawa
County Jail.
Referring to the start of the trial, Camburn told her friends, "I'm so at peace that this is finally going."
The case was set for trial earlier this year but adjourned while attorneys for both sides awaited results of a mental
examination of the woman.
Encouraged by one of her supporters, Camburn stood by the defense table and led the assembled in a group prayer.
She prayed for the prosecutor and said she knows he's just doing his job.
She asked for God's presence in the courthouse as the trial proceeds.
And she prayed for her children, Candice and Kimberly.
She paused briefly, then said, "I wasn't done with them yet."
Her voice breaking with emotion she added, "They're in your hands now."
The long process of selecting a jury began a short time later in a larger courtroom across the hall, where about 75
prospective jurors were waiting.
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