OH - Annabelle Richardson, newborn, found in shallow grave, Carlisle, 7 May 2017 #1

[MsJosie]

I am curious.....how long was her labour? Was she able to hide the pain from the contractions for hours from her parents? Or did the all look the other way?

 

[Spellbound]

Thanks. I was confused about how they used postmortem injuries when talking about a baby that may have been stillborn. Would that be after death even if you were never technically alive? It's still death?

Yes, it would.

It is clear you have put a lot of thought into your posts. Nice.

 

[Hope4More]

Couple of thoughts after listening to the tapes with her parents....MOO

1. She is lying and is used to lying to her parents. Mommy mommy. Sounds fake and contrived. Lots of experience doing this. I hear no remorse or anything from her. Sounds like a spoiled, self centered brat. I find her completely unlikable and untrustworthy.

2. Mother is only concerned about family’s reputation. Doesn’t show any empathy towards her daughter (but how would I feel if evidence showed my daughter KILLED a baby - I may give mom a break for this). Seems like some long-standing dysfunction in this family.

3. Dad. Seems disgusted by this whole situation. Is used to her lies. Knows she is lying but so hard to grasp his daughter could do this, so grasping. Seems somewhat believable. Shock. Anger. But he knows the truth and doesn’t want to believe it.

I think what Skylar said & how she acted when her parents were there in the interrogation room might be important to the jury. It was for me.

But..I didn't see what you saw at all, except for her mother's self absorption & utter lack of empathy. I found Skylar's pleas to mommy both genuine & heartbreaking, actually. And her mother's withholding of support & then deliberate cruelty went a long way to explaining why Skylar would have found it impossible to tell her parents she was pregnant.

Also, I didn't get the impression that Skylar was a habitual liar, or that her father thought she was. She had clearly lied about being pregnant- both directly and by omission, but that doesn't make her anything other than a frightened young woman who knew her mother would shred her, not support her.

 

[iluvmua]

Full term baby

 

[cherrymeg]

Respectfully snipped by me for focus.

1. I think she is misremembering what happened with the umbilical cord due to her level of shock and possibly some repression of memory due to the obvious trauma of it all. When her father asked her about the bloody towels and whether the placenta was part of what she threw away "somewhere else" (sidenote, did anyone ever ask where that was?), she did say that yes, the placenta was part of the mess she put in a bag and took away. It wasn't with the baby in the ground, according to what she said. Placentas are, frankly, repulsive (especially to someone who didn't want to give birth) and not something you could carry easily like a newborn. (They're also fascinating, but I digress...). So if that's all true, something happened to separate the baby from the cord/placenta and spontaneous separation is extremely rare. I think the moment of birth and the ten minutes or so afterward were probably the height of this trauma for BSR and she doesn't remember cutting the cord, but she did.

2. The decomposed state of the tiny, fragile baby's body and the fact that it was in a very shallow grave in what appears to be a lawn makes me think that if there really are skull fractures, they could be the result of animal activity rather than birth trauma or murder. The reference to a "puncture-type" fracture is what most makes me think this. This does not mean that BSR couldn't have also contributed to the baby's death, of course, I just think that all the focus on the skull fractures in the courtroom and media might be not completely useful.

I wondered if the placenta didn't come out all at once. I saw mine in a metal dish after giving birth. I took a picture of it. I don't have it saved digitally so don't worry I won't share lol. The police officer asked about it and then said something like you would know the placenta when you saw it. Some women get infections from the placenta not being fully expelled. When you have no one guiding you have a human exiting your vagina, blood, other fluids, a placenta or the cord attached to it, there is a lot of blood, you might also poop. That was my biggest fear. I don't think I did but when you see all the blood and stuff it's like pooping seems like not a big deal lol. She didn't have a single person helping her. No one is cleaning the baby or her or figuring out if she is attached to her child, if she expelled the placenta. She sounded like she only used a few towels. Poor girl.

 

[zea mays]

I think what Skylar said & how she acted when her parents were there in the interrogation room might be important to the jury. It was for me.

But..I didn't see what you saw at all, except for her mother's self absorption & utter lack of empathy. I found Skylar's pleas to mommy both genuine & heartbreaking, actually. And her mother's withholding of support & then deliberate cruelty went a long way to explaining why Skylar would have found it impossible to tell her parents she was pregnant.

Also, I didn't get the impression that Skylar was a habitual liar, or that her father thought she was. She had clearly lied about being pregnant- both directly and by omission, but that doesn't make her anything other than a frightened young woman who knew her mother would shred her, not support her.

I agree with you, here. I think she panicked. And I do think the baby was alive and fragile and she didn't do anything that killed the baby (suffocate, burn, crush the skull, etc) other than neglect and panic. She stated at one point during the interview that she doesn't rely on her parents or friends and just deals with things on her own. It was clear from her mother's behavior why that is true and how that could contribute to this outcome. BSR overestimated her ability to handle the situation herself because she clearly had never been in a situation she couldn't handle herself. By the time the baby was born, died, and was buried, she thought she had handled it and no one would ever know. It IS a crime to neglect your child to death and it IS a crime to improperly dispose of a corpse. She should face some repercussions, but I don't see a cold calculated murderer here.

 

[iluvmua]

The baby died of homicidal violence, IF it was a stillborn that would not have happened that way.

Skylar said the baby was alive for 5 minutes.
I wonder if she intentionally did not clear the airway so the child woukd die.

Jmo

 

[zea mays]

The baby died of homicidal violence, IF it was a stillborn that would not have happened that way.

Skylar said the baby was alive for 5 minutes.
I wonder if she intentionally did not clear the airway so the child woukd die.

Jmo

To intentionally do that, one would have to know the airway needed to be cleared. I doubt there are a lot of 18 year old women who know that without research. I'm going to be very interested in what they found on BSR's computer.

 

[cherrymeg]

Yes, it would.

It is clear you have put a lot of thought into your posts. Nice.

Thanks. I think I over thought that one. lol

 

[iluvmua]

I agree with you, here. I think she panicked. And I do think the baby was alive and fragile and she didn't do anything that killed the baby (suffocate, burn, crush the skull, etc) other than neglect and panic. She stated at one point during the interview that she doesn't rely on her parents or friends and just deals with things on her own. It was clear from her mother's behavior why that is true and how that could contribute to this outcome. BSR overestimated her ability to handle the situation herself because she clearly had never been in a situation she couldn't handle herself. By the time the baby was born, died, and was buried, she thought she had handled it and no one would ever know. It IS a crime to neglect your child to death and it IS a crime to improperly dispose of a corpse. She should face some repercussions, but I don't see a cold calculated murderer here.

If she was having trouble she should have called 911.

I think she intended for her child to die and now she is playing stupid and saying over and over "I did not mean to kill her/it" etc. hoping that they will believe her story.

Jmo

 

[MsJosie]

The baby died of homicidal violence, IF it was a stillborn that would not have happened that way.

Skylar said the baby was alive for 5 minutes.
I wonder if she intentionally did not clear the airway so the child woukd die.

Jmo

I don’t think she would have known to do that. Her mom or dad yes, but not her unless she had a health class in school that went over things about a birth

 

[iluvmua]

To intentionally do that, one would have to know the airway needed to be cleared. I doubt there are a lot of 18 year old women who know that without research. I'm going to be very interested in what they found on BSR's computer.

She worked with children at the YMCA so I would think she would know that.

Jmo

 

[zea mays]

If she was having trouble she should have called 911.

I think she intended for her child to die and now she is playing stupid and saying over and over "I did not mean to kill her/it" etc. hoping that they will believe her story.

Jmo

Of course she should've done that. She was terrified and made the wrong decision. I don't think she wanted a living baby but I think it was through neglect and not intentional actions that the baby was killed.

She worked with children at the YMCA so I would think she would know that.

Jmo

What part of babysitting deals with what to do after birth? She also states that she hasn't done CPR/First Aid yet when she's interviewed.

 

[Spellbound]

The baby died of homicidal violence, IF it was a stillborn that would not have happened that way.

Skylar said the baby was alive for 5 minutes.
I wonder if she intentionally did not clear the airway so the child woukd die.

Jmo

Any chance you can provide me a link to where she said the baby lived about 5 minutes? I only remember her saying it never cried or breathed (in the interrogation video)
Did I miss it being in there, also?

Thanks

 

[Jewels53]

Skylar knew how to have sex, so surely she knew there could be consequences from unprotected sex. I don't feel sorry for her she could have told someone a friend, her boyfriend, her parents. A teacher anyone, asked for help from the Dr.

Skylar didn't need to have the baby all alone. She could have even read books or googled how to have a baby. There are all kinds of ways to find information out there.

I think the Prosecution still has a lot evidence to show. I am going to wait to see what everything is presented to the jury.

jmo imo moo

 

[squareandrabbet]

I don’t think she would have known to do that. Her mom or dad yes, but not her unless she had a health class in school that went over things about a birth

Or saw it in TV or a movie. Gray's Anatomy, Private Practice, or similar (rerun of "ER" or St. Elsewhere). I freely grant there are some refinements I didn't know about the female anatomy until my twenties, such as that women could still have periods while pregnant (I said to my then-pregnant friend, "Isn't that insanely inequitable? I mean, there's no place for a baby to go"); but I think there's a lot of opportunity to watch (albeit edited) childbirth scenes in TV or movies.

 

[Jewels53]

This photo was shown on the screen in the courtroom by the prosecution during their opening statements. It described the baby was alive for about 5 minutes. BSR heard the baby gurgle and cry.

*The screenshot I’ve attached below is of that photo and was taken from the FOX 19 livestream during opening statements.

JMO

I am bumping this up for @Spellbound

 

[Spellbound]

If she was having trouble she should have called 911.

I think she intended for her child to die and now she is playing stupid and saying over and over "I did not mean to kill her/it" etc. hoping that they will believe her story.

Jmo

The baby died of homicidal violence, IF it was a stillborn that would not have happened that way.

Skylar said the baby was alive for 5 minutes.
I wonder if she intentionally did not clear the airway so the child woukd die.

Jmo

Might I respectfully ask if you are young, or if you have given birth? You are very adamant in your belief (nothing wrong with that).

I thought it was said they could not provide a cause of death, so we cannot be certain it was "homicidal violence."

Maybe she felt she handled it well enough, and since the baby was already born she did not need 911. We can't really read her mind or know what she was experiencing, be it fear, confusion, ignorance, or maliciousness ... we can only base conclusions on what we are learning from the experts and other witnesses here.


JMO

 

[Spellbound]

She worked with children at the YMCA so I would think she would know that.

Jmo

There is a huge difference in working with little kids at a YMCA and understanding the reproductive system or giving birth. She still had not even had certification for CPR at the YMCA.

 

[Hope4More]

I agree with you, here. I think she panicked. And I do think the baby was alive and fragile and she didn't do anything that killed the baby (suffocate, burn, crush the skull, etc) other than neglect and panic. She stated at one point during the interview that she doesn't rely on her parents or friends and just deals with things on her own. It was clear from her mother's behavior why that is true and how that could contribute to this outcome. BSR overestimated her ability to handle the situation herself because she clearly had never been in a situation she couldn't handle herself. By the time the baby was born, died, and was buried, she thought she had handled it and no one would ever know. It IS a crime to neglect your child to death and it IS a crime to improperly dispose of a corpse. She should face some repercussions, but I don't see a cold calculated murderer here.

We agree that she panicked. How could she not? The DR had told her she had 8-10 weeks left, not less than 2 weeks to process the fact she was pregnant AND to give birth.

She gave birth very quickly, especially for it being a first birth, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if she didn't have a clue what was going on at any point in the process.

Where was the neglect, then? Especially if her baby was stillborn, which imo the State hasn't proven that it was not?

Of course it was wrong to bury her dead baby in the back yard. I think she later readily told the DR what had happened in part because she too felt that it was wrong.