A babysitter broke down during her murder trial this week as she demonstrated the moment she claims a 14-month-old toddler died after his neck snapped . Michelle Heale of Tom 's River , New Jersey claims she was trying to burp Mason Hess when he began choking on his applesauce , but when she pulled him off her shoulder his neck snapped backwards , killing the boy . The mother of twins , who were in the next room when the incident happened and then just three years old , was charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child after a medical examiner determined the boy died as a result of homicide caused by blunt cerebral trauma . The prosecution has argued that Heale shook the child to death . Scroll down for video . Michelle Heale ( above ) breaks down during her trial for murder in the death of 14-month-old Mason Hess on Tuesday as she reenacts the moments before his neck allegedly snapped . She claims she was burping Mason Hess ( above ) when he began choking on his applesauce and that his neck snapped when she took him of her shoulder . Heale was babysitting Mason as she was a friend of the family ( Mason 's mother Kellie above ) and her husband Michael and Mason 's father Adam worked together as detectives . NJ.com reports that on Tuesday Heale , 46 , reenacted the moment the baby boy died with a doll . She claims the young boy started coughing soon after she fed him some applesauce on August 28 , 2012 , and when his passageway did not seem to be getting clear , she immediately grabbed him to see if she could make him burp . ' I hit him hard on the back . I may have hit him harder than I should have , ' Heale said through tears after demonstrating on the doll . ' I hit him about four or five times , and then I felt the applesauce come out . I felt it on my shoulder and I felt it on my shirt . ' Thinking the crisis had been averted , she took Mason of her shoulder . 'As I brought him down , his head snapped back ... he was completely limp , ' she said . 'His eyes were open , but he was n't doing anything . ... Everything was flopping . ' Mason would die on September 1 after being airlifted to Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia . Courtesy of Asbury Park Press/APP.com . Heale ( seen above crying on the stand Wednesday ) is out on bail during the trial and still has custody of her twins , who were 3-years-old when the incident occurred . Medical examiners determined that Mason ( above with his parents Kellie and Adam ) died as a result of homicide caused by blunt cerebral trauma . Heale took the stand again on Wednesday , as she detailed her relationship with the Hess family , with her husband Michael and Mason 's father Adam both employed as detectives at the Ocean County Prosecutor 's Office . For this reason the trial was moved to another county . The Heale and Hess families , including Mason 's mother Kellie , had been friends for years . Heale spent most of her day expressing her disbelief over the situation , first being told she had to leave Mason at the hospital as she was suspected of hurting him and then being charged with murder . ' I thought they were going to take my kids from me because I was told that I had hurt Mason , ' Heale said . ' I thought that once they were made aware that I had my own kids that they were going to take them from me . ' Heale , who is currently out on bail during the trial , was able to keep custody of her children . She told the jury at the end of the day ; ' I would never hurt Mason or anybody . ' Heale 's murder charge carries a maximum sentence of lifetime in prison , and a minimum of 30 years in jail with a 30-year period of parole ineligibility .
Michelle Heale of Tom 's River , New Jersey is on trial for murder in the death of 14-month-old Mason Hess . Heale was babysitting Mason while her husband Michael and Mason 's father Adam worked together as police detectives . She claims she was burping Mason Hess when he began choking on his applesauce and that his neck snapped when she took him of her shoulder . Heale broke down demonstrating the incident to the jury . Medical examiners determined that Mason died as a result of homicide caused by blunt cerebral trauma . Heale is out on bail during the trial and still has custody of her twins , who were 3 years old when the incident occurred .