T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM Harrison County Common Pleas Judge T. Shawn Hervey speaks to Kristopher Merkins and Jessica Currence via video conference Friday during the pair’s arraignment. Merkins and Currence pleaded innocent to charges including involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide in the death of Merkins’ 8-year-old daughter.

CADIZ — A couple charged in connection with the death of an 8-year-old girl appeared for arraignment Friday, and both pleaded innocent to the charges against them.

Jessica Lynn Currence, 27, and Kristopher Merkins, 32, both of 34920 Cadiz-Piedmont Road, Cadiz, appeared before Harrison County Common Pleas Judge T. Shawn Hervey on Friday morning via video conference.

Merkins is charged with involuntary manslaughter, child abuse, felonious assault, reckless homicide, four counts of endangering children and domestic violence. Currence is charged with involuntary manslaughter, child abuse, reckless homicide, felonious assault, four counts of endangering children, domestic violence and tampering with evidence.

The charges stem from the June 27 death of 8-year-old Paityn Merkins, the daughter of Kristopher Merkins, who died in the couple’s former home in the Moorefield area. Currence is Merkins’ girlfriend. The cause of death has not been released.

During Friday’s bond hearing, Merkins’ attorney, Donald Malarick, requested the court set a $25,000 bond, while Prosecutor Lauren Knight requested a $100,000 bond. Malarick said Merkins has no criminal background and has ties to the community. He also disputes Paityn’s cause of death, adding that she had “very serious health issues” prior to her death.

“She had six different open-heart surgeries prior to her passing. … She saw her primary care physician from April 2019 through May 2021 11 different times. Those were wellness visits, visits for pneumonia, for fevers. She also saw a number of specialists,” he said. “This case is going to rely heavily on expert opinions in the cause and manner of death, and we intend to consult the experts and some of the leading experts in the country with respect to the significant complex in genital heart issues that we believe caused Paityn’s death.”

Malarick added that his client was out of town the day the child died and has fully cooperated with the investigation.

Due to the severity of the charges, Hervey set Merkins’ bond at $70,000 and ordered he have no contact with unrelated juveniles and only supervised visitation with related juveniles if released, as recommended by Knight.

The other three children who resided in the couple’s home were removed following Paityn’s death and placed in the care of the Harrison County Department of Job and Family Services.

Currence’s attorney, Jeff Laybourne, requested a $25,000 bond while Knight requested a $125,000 bond.

“With Miss Currence, she is the primary actor alleged to be in the death of Paityn Merkins, so the state would request a monetary bond to ensure she does not have contact with anyone else that she could present a risk to the outside community,” Knight said.

Laybourne said Currence also has no criminal history, is a mother of three and is a lifelong resident of Harrison County. He added that she has been cooperative in the investigation.

“She’s not a danger to the community, and the other children have been removed from the home. There’s an ongoing JFS case with no contact whatsoever outside of their approval,” he said. “… She’s a young woman with no record, she’s not a danger to the community and she’s not a flight risk. Again, there is a significant dispute between parties of the cause and manner of death in this case, and she is prepared to present evidence to support that.”

Hervey set her bond at $80,000 and also ordered that she have no contact with unrelated juveniles and only supervised visits with related juveniles if released.

As of Friday afternoon, both Merkins and Currence had bonded out of the Jefferson County Jail, where they were being held.

A third person also has been indicted in the case — 51-year-old Angela Parcell has been charged with endangering children and failure to report a crime. She is scheduled for arraignment Tuesday.