New, horrifying details emerged about Brooke Skylar Richardson as she sat on trial for killing her newborn baby.
The 20-year-old, who gave birth to a daughter in May 2017 at age 17, was charged will murdering her baby and then burying her in the backyard.
On Thursday, September 12, 2019, a jury found Richardson not guilty of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter, and child endangerment. She was, however, found guilty of gross abuse of a corpse.
Richardson had gone to her doctor in July 2017 to get birth control pills. Knowing she had been pregnant, the doctor asked what had happened and she told him, “I had it alone in my house and buried it in the backyard,” according to the doctor’s testimony.
According to prosecutors, Richardson had searched the internet for how to “get rid of a baby.” They have not reported how the baby was killed, but have said that the baby had an “unexplained skull fracture.”
Richardson’s attorney claims that when she delivered her baby on her bathroom floor, the child was not breathing and that there was no umbilical cord. In a panic, she buried her in the backyard.
According to her attorneys, she did not realize she would deliver the baby so soon after finding out she was pregnant. In the middle of the night, she gave birth to her daughter — only 11 days after finding out she was expecting.
Brooke Skylar Richardson’s Disturbing Text Messages
During opening arguments, prosecutors read a text message Richardson sent to her mother after giving birth. “I’m literally speachless (sic) with how happy am… I am literally so excited now just for dinner to wear something cute yayyyy my belly is back and now I’m takin(sic) this opportunity to make it amazing,” she wrote to her mom, who did not realize she was pregnant.
Richardson also allegedly went to the gym hours after giving birth and took a selfie to show off her flatter stomach. The images she took were shown in court, in addition to an image of the baby’s bones.
Trey Johnson, 21, who says is the baby’s father, took the stand the first day of the trial. He said he was never told about the baby.
The doctor who treated Richardson also testified, reporting that she told him, “I can’t have a baby. I’m going to college in September.”
Richardson’s attorneys say the text messages were taken out of context and speak to her obsession with weight and issues with body image, not killing her baby.
Richardson faces between 6 and 12 months in jail on the gross abuse of a corpse charge.
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