PORTAGE, Wis. -- A judge has granted separate trials for the leaders of a group of drifters accused of torturing an 11-year-old boy and killing his mother.

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Michael Sisk, 26, and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Candace Clark, each face multiple charges that include being a party to first-degree intentional homicide, child abuse and false imprisonment.

Sisk and Clark also requested separate trials for each charge, but that request was denied, WISC-TV reported.

"I'm very pleased the judge decided to keep all the charges for each defendant together. That's going to be very important, because otherwise we would be going over and over the same evidence at separate trials on each defendant," said Jane Kohlwey, Columbia County district attorney.

Investigators said Sisk and Clark led a group of scam artists across the country.

Police said they discovered an 11-year-old boy locked in a closet with burns all over his body in a home the group rented in Portage. Officers also found the body of the boy's mother, Tammie Garlin, buried in a shallow grave behind the house.

Kohlwey said she is disappointed that the judge granted a change of venue request for the trial. The jury will be selected from outside of Columbia County, WISC-TV reported. A trial date has not yet been set.