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 wasn'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 .