Defendants: Hanif Zarif Sims and Monique Alisa Lynch.

Victim: Genesis Sims, 7, whose body was discovered on May 14, 2010, wrapped in plastic and buried in the muddy crawl space beneath a duplex apartment at 764 Century Place in Monument.

Charges: Sims, 30, is accused of child abuse resulting in his daughter’s death. Lynch, 30, is accused of first-degree murder.

What’s new:  Fourth Judicial District Judge G. David Miller ruled Wednesday that El Paso County Coroner Robert C. Bux will not be able to state his opinion at trial that the 7-year-old girl’s death was a homicide.

Defense attorneys argued that because Bux was unable to rule out natural causes, he should not be able to tell jurors his opinion – based on all the evidence gathered – that the death was a homicide. The judge also precluded prosecutors from asking Bux during the trial if he believed her death was inconsistent with natural causes.

What’s next: A continued hearing is scheduled for April 8. Lynch’s public defenders intend to ask that her trial be moved to another county because of pretrial publicity. Sims is scheduled for trial on May 31. Lynch will be tried separately on June 14.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been changed to reflect the correct age of Genesis Sims.

BRANDON FIBBS Photo by