CLEARWATER, Fla. — The woman accused of killing her 2-year-old son appeared in a Pinellas County courtroom Monday ahead of her murder trial.

Initially, Charisse Stinson was not going to be in court. However, the judge in the case instructed her attorney that he wanted her in court. 

The hearing was delayed while officials went to get Stinson and bring her to the courtroom. 

When she did appear, the judge told her he wanted to see her face to face before they move forward. 

A pre-trial date was scheduled for March 18. 

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Stinson, 21, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her son Jordan Belliveau. The boy was found dead in a wooded area of Largo Sept. 4, 2018. 

Belliveau was the subject of an Amber Alert for several days. 

During that time, Stinson told investigators that she and her son were walking from their home on the evening of Sept. 1, when she accepted a ride from a stranger. She claimed that the man, named Antwan, attacked her and beat her unconscious. When she woke up in Largo Central Park, Jordan was gone, she said.

Stinson remains in jail without bond on murder charges.

Monday's hearing was the first for Stinson since she gave birth to a baby girl in December. She was six months pregnant when arrested after Jordan's death. 

Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg couple that was briefly Jordan's foster parents are caring for the baby girl. They are planning to adopt her.