'Laughable': Madalina Cojocari stepdad says he didn't know she was gone

The stepfather of missing Cornelius girl Madalina Cojocari was given a reduced bond by a judge Thursday just hours after Madalina's mother pleaded not guilty to failing to report her daughter's disappearance.

Diana Cojocari faced a judge just after 10 a.m. Thursday. The state did not offer any plea deals to Cojocari in the case. The judge asked Cojocari if she understood the charge and she acknowledged yes before pleading not guilty, which will send the case to trial.

Christopher Palmiter, Diana Cojocari's husband and the stepfather of Madalina, was in court around 3 p.m. The judge gave him a $25,000 bond with electronic monitoring and pre-trial supervision. His original bond was $200,000. Palmiter also pleaded not guilty but was offered a reduced bond, while Diana Cojocari was not.

During the hearing, defense attorneys laid out their case why Palmiter claims he didn't know Madalina went missing.

Prosecutors called that ridiculous.

“The idea that he could’ve been at home for three weeks and not known she was missing is laughable," a state attorney said. #WakeUpCLT #MadalinaCojocari #Missingperson

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