OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. \u2013 The CEO and three other workers who were charged after a 5-year-old boy was killed in a hyperbaric chamber explosion at an Oakland County health care facility have been bound over.<\/p>\n
Tamela Peterson, 59, of Brighton, Jeffrey Mosteller, 65, of Clinton Township, Gary Marken, 66, of Spring Arbor, and Aleta Moffitt, 61, of Rochester Hills, were charged after Thomas Cooper was killed when the hyperbaric chamber he was receiving treatment in exploded at the Oxford Center in Troy on Jan. 31, 2025. The boy\u2019s mother was also injured in the explosion.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, 52-4 District Court Judge Maureen McGinnis determined that there is probable cause to bind each defendant over to a higher court, where they could face trial. <\/p>\n
You can watch the full hearing in the video at the top of this article.<\/p>\n
Peterson, the Oxford Center\u2019s founder and CEO, along with Mosteller, the safety manager, and Marken, the primary management assistant, were charged with second-degree murder.<\/p>\n
They were also given the alternative charge of involuntary manslaughter, which means that a jury will decide which charge accurately fits their conduct.<\/p>\n
Moffitt, who was allegedly operating the hyperbaric chamber at the time of the explosion, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and falsifying medical records.<\/p>\n
The four workers are accused of ignoring several safety guidelines for operating hyperbaric chambers, including failing to use a grounding wrist strap, rolling back the chamber cycle count, giving the 5-year-old boy a blanket straight from a running dryer, using polyester pillows and more.<\/p>\n
As the judge read her decision on Tuesday, she noted that this decision comes after considerable time and attention on the evidence presented, including over seven days of testimony that filled over 1,900 pages when transcribed, hundreds of pages of exhibits and dozens of photos and videos that captured moments leading up to and the death of Thomas. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo establish that there were acts perpetrated by Peterson, Marken and Mosteller that ultimately caused Thomas\u2019 death the People presented evidence to show that the defendants actively participated in the decision-making and enforcement of a mandate that all patients of the Oxford Center in Troy, including Thomas Cooper, could not wear a key safety component, the wrist grounding strap, when receiving treatment at the facility,\u201d McGinnis said.<\/p>\n
In addition to grounding straps not being used at the facility, the judge also noted the lack of physical safety checks before patients go into chambers and said that the testimony did not support the idea that Peterson was an \u201caloof\u201d CEO. <\/p>\n
She said evidence showed that Peterson was responsible for ordering polyester pillow fillings and communicating with employees at Sechrsit, the manufacturer of the chambers. <\/p>\n
The judge said former employees testified that Peterson was the Oxford Center\u2019s top decision-maker, with Marken as her right-hand, and Mosteller being in third command. <\/p>\n
When referring to Moffitt\u2019s charges, she said that a former employee testified that she was excellent at her job and wasn\u2019t afraid to ask questions, and despite not being certified as a hyperbaric technician, that Moffitt was trained as a hyperbaric technician and had worked at the center for multiple years. <\/p>\n
McGinnis said that when it comes to the falsifying medical records charge, even though there is testimony that revealed pre-charting information was done by some employees, especially when they were busy overseeing multiple patients at once, entering the end time for a treatment in Thomas\u2019 chart was inaccurate because the end of his treatment hadn\u2019t yet occurred. <\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the Court\u2019s findings after the conclusion of the preliminary exam, this court today is binding each defendant over both of their original felony counts consistent with the ruling that\u2019s been issued on the record today,\u201d McGinnis said.<\/p>\n
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released the following statement after the defendants were bound over: <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen professionals entrusted with the care of our children abandon the standards meant to keep them safe, they must be held accountable. I am relieved that this case will proceed to trial, where we will continue to pursue justice for Thomas and his family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel<\/p>\n
Marken\u2019s attorney, Todd Flood, released the following statement after the ruling: <\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s ruling does not reflect the reality of my client\u2019s involvement in this case. Mr. Marken was not responsible for patient treatment, he was simply in charge of maintenance at Oxford Center\u2019s Brighton facility, a location completely separate from the Troy facility where this tragedy occurred. Furthermore, every witness testified that he had nothing to do with the treatment decisions made. Unfortunately, we must proceed to the next step of his trial. We will fight to the very end to clear Mr. Marken\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Todd Flood, founder and managing partner of Flood Law<\/p>\n
The judge\u2019s decision comes after the prosecution and defense made their final arguments on Tuesday, Jan. 20. <\/p>\n
Prosecutors argued they established probable cause that the Oxford Center leaders knowingly ignored serious safety risks, including eliminating required grounding wrist straps, skipping maintenance, and violating industry standards, and that those decisions directly led to the hyperbaric chamber explosion that killed Thomas.<\/p>\n
Defense attorneys argued that the exact cause of the fire remains unproven, the fire chief\u2019s report remains unfinished, and that each defendant either reasonably relied on others, lacked safety authority, or followed existing policies and training.<\/p>\n