L. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. – Two Lehigh County parents accused of starving and abusing two of their 15-year-old sons appeared in court Tuesday.
Pamela Lehman, a public relations officer with the County District Attorney’s Office, said Tracy and Joshua Dechant currently still do not have attorneys to represent them.
Their next court appearance is February 19, 2026, Lehman said.
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The two, who posted bail, have said in court they cannot afford private representation.
At a previous court session, the judge suggested a Philadelphia-based firm that could handle the case. The judge also recommended a firm from Kutztown, in Berks County the Dechants could reach out to.
They are facing 12 charges, including eight felonies, including the most serious charge of conspiracy to commit third-degree murder.
They’re accused of nearly starving their two twin 15-year-old sons to death and made them live in torturous conditions.
The Dechants live on Divot Drive in Lower Macungie. A neighbor called the police and said that one of the Dechant’s teenage sons was running outside, practically naked in single-digit temperatures.
Investigators say the boys were starved to the point where one was 54 pounds, and the other was 53 pounds. Both boys should have been around 140 pounds.