Teen Found Responsible in Death of Newborn Son

She hid her pregnancy under baggy clothing, and when the eight-pound baby boy arrived in December 2005, the 17-year-old Arnold girl delivered the baby herself, then left him in the toilet for five to 10 minutes. Finally, she placed the infant in a plastic bag and put him in a trash can outside.

The teenager, now 18, was found responsible for the crime in Anne Arundel County juvenile court yesterday, the equivalent of being found guilty of second-degree murder, Deputy State's Attorney Laura Kiessling said.

"The judge was correct in her verdict based on the evidence she had," Kiessling said outside the courthouse. "I believe her actions were consistent with second-degree murder."

The Washington Post generally does not name defendants whose cases are handled in juvenile court.

During yesterday's proceedings, the teenager sat silent, with her head bowed, next to her attorney, Howard L. Cardin. Her eyes were swollen and red. Her mother, who sat behind her, held her head in her hands. When the hearing was adjourned, the teenager sobbed.

At a hearing July 18, she pleaded not guilty to the charges but agreed to the facts of the case, including the delivery in her mother's home and the decision to put the baby, whom she decided was dead, into the trash.

The child was found the next day after the teenager's mother confronted her. A medical examiner determined that the baby died of asphyxia, either from drowning or from being left in the bag, and said exposure to the cold weather might have contributed to his death.

Cardin argued that his client was not guilty of murder because there was no continuous conduct that led to the child's death. However, Circuit Court Judge Nancy Davis-Loomis determined it was inconceivable that the teenager did not understand that her actions would lead to the death of her baby.

Sentencing is set for Aug. 31, after a psychiatric and psychological evaluation. The teen will remain on community detention, or house arrest, until her next court date.

The teenager was initially charged as an adult, but based on a recommendation from the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Davis-Loomis moved the case to juvenile court in January.

Because she was tried as a juvenile, she can only be held in a juvenile facility until she is 21. Her case is not a matter of public record. If she had been tried as an adult, she could have faced 30 years in prison.