The couple was initially charged together but soon split up as lawyers for each of them blamed the other for the attacks on the boy. Delestre is in prison, awaiting his trial.

The defense had asked for postponements of Bunnell's trial on several occasions. It's anticipated her trial will take about two weeks.

Assistant Attorney General Stacey Veroni and Assistant Attorney General Scott Erickson are prosecuting the case for the state.

From its beginning, the high-profile case raised questions about the state’s system of screening prospective foster parents, putting the Department of Children, Youth and Families in the spotlight. An independent investigation launched by the Office of the Child Advocate determined that DCYF missed as least five opportunities to rescue Thomas from the couple’s Woonsocket home.

The advocate issued another report in 2006, saying the state had failed to make some of the most important changes that a review panel called for following T.J.’s death. Mostly notably, the state had not held caseloads to recommended levels.

Then, last June, Child Advocate Jametta O. Alston filed for class-action status on behalf of the 3,000 children now in state custody, aiming for an overhaul of Rhode Island’s child-welfare system, which the suit portrays as overburdened and mismanaged.

That suit is still in U.S. District Court.