The defendant said she never went to a doctor or took a test to confirm the pregnancy, but felt butterflies in her stomach around August or September at which point she said she knew for sure.
I was struggling to get by, she told the jury. I knew I wasnt capable of taking care of another person at that time. Abortion wasnt an option.
Usnick said she had planned to deliver the baby at the hospital and then sign it away to give it a chance at a better life.
After the baby had been delivered into the toilet along with the after-birth, Usnick said she had grabbed a nearby tissue basket and placed the baby on top as she continued to writhe in pain over the toilet.
She wasnt moving. I couldnt stop what was going on at that moment, Usnick said through tears. She was beautiful. A little bit pink and blue, she looked like a sleeping baby, silent. She was gone.
After understanding what had just occurred, Usnick said she had felt like a failure and that she had let her (daughter) down. Once giving birth and regaining a bit of energy, Usnick shoved a towel between her legs and headed toward her bedroom to rest, bringing the infant along and placing her inside a blue storage bin that would eventually be moved to her cars trunk, unmovable at this point due to a failed transmission, she said.
Usnick said she had never moved the baby once it was placed in the trunk and described her subsequent interviews with police and in custody as scary, alone and intimidating.
The prosecution sought to discredit pieces of Usnicks testimony after her testimony, specifically, that the residence she was staying at in St. Elizabeth was remote, not close to any neighbors, or near medical services, nor did her pre-paid cell phone have any minutes or reliable reception.