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

[Seattle1]

During opening statements, the defense showed this photo slide to the court. (Defendants Exhibit 00-13)

It’s a side-by-side photo comparison showing BSR’s weight loss (anorexia). They said the photos were taken just 6 months apart.

Some don’t believe that the photo on the left is BSR at all but rather a photo of her mother?

In all of the photos I’ve ever seen of BSR, I don’t ever recall seeing her with short hair?

Thoughts?

JMO

March 23, 2018 - Good Houskeeping (Interview with family)

Vanessa says their families went on a spring break trip together in late March of last year. "I saw her in a bikini and she in no way, shape, or form looked pregnant. At all," Vanessa says. "I was happy because I was like, 'Oh, she's met this nice boy. She doesn't care about how she looks anymore, doesn't care if she's getting thick.' I mean, the eating disorders were always horrible. So we were all like, 'Oh, yay! She's putting weight on.'"

Why Is This 19-Year-Old on Trial for Murder?

Is this suppose to be photo of BSR in bikini when pregnant? Late March spring break vacation would have been about 6 weeks before delivery.

Like BSR, my cousin was in gymnastics, dance, and cheer outfits since age 4 -- really strong core muscles-- we didn't know she was pregnant until her 8th month.

Maybe the photo on screen is really Aunt Vanessa (Kim's sister) and not BSR...

 

[fred&edna]

Yes, that’s what I was wondering? The prosecution surely would’ve objected if it wasn't her?
Does the defense have to present all of their discovery, exhibits, etc., to the prosecution before trial? If so, I would think they would’ve seen it then and objected.

If it is BSR and the photos were taken just 6 months apart, she must have had some good hair extensions or her hair grows really fast.

JMO

Great question and questioning! Until Gitana or a legal pro can answer that first part... I'm gonna do the googly.

 

[iluvmua]

1st interview with police:
*LE asks her if she asks her doctors about any options as to what she should do or what she could do.
* Skylar says : "Yeah, I didn't really want to have my baby; "but I could not get rid of it"
"I didn't really know what I should do".

* LE is asking her what happened on the night of May 7th.
"That I had the baby and it wasn't alive"
"I didn't kill the girl"
"Am I going to be in trouble"?
LE: What's that?
"Am I in trouble"?

* " I had the baby in the bathroom, on the toilet".
" It just came out when I pushed, and it wasn't breathing".

*" It did not make any noises"
LE is asking her if she was going to catch her:
Skylar says "I tried, She wasn't breathing"
*It just kinda came out, I tried, I tried-
* I kinda caught her by the head a little bit"
*" I never meant to hurt her"

 

[Seattle1]

Did this come out in the trial (that she didn't tell the detectives the baby's name was Annabelle)? I've been so busy I haven't been able to keep up.

I watched about 4 hours of interrogation and never once does BSR mention the name "Annabelle" -- baby is referred to as "it" or "her." Just my own observation.

 

[Hope4More]

Q. Why is the State persisting with the allegation that Skylar tried to burn her baby, when their own experts state there is no evidence that happened? And when their own expert who originally said she saw charred bones later admitted she had been wrong?

A. Because if the State concedes there isn't evidence Skylar tried to burn her baby, then everything else Skylar "confessed" to in the 2nd interrogation could and would be called into question.
------------------------------------------------------

May 7, 2017. Gave birth.

July 12, 2017. Went to DR for BC pill refill

July 14, 2017 (Friday). 1st interview.

July 20, 2017 (Thursday) Second interview.

(Between July 14th and July 20th the coroner (Dr. Allen-Brown) examined the remains, then asked Dr. Murray (forensic anthropologist) to examine them as well because Brown didn’t have the tools to adequately analyze the bones for fractures, etc. Murray replied to Brown that the bones appeared charred, Brown relayed this info to the State. No other expert witnesses had yet been consulted. Skylar is called back in for a second interview).

--------------------------------
July 14. First Interview:
------------------------------

Skylar: “I didn’t kill her.” It wasn’t breathing. She didn’t make any noises. She just came out. I kinda caught her by the head a little bit. I never meant to hurt her. She wasn’t breathing. She didn’t have a heart beat. I tried to feel for it. I was holding her in my lap. I had a towel. I was bleeding a lot. Placenta came out the next day (later indicates she isn’t sure of that). I didn’t cut the umbilical cord. I didn’t kill her. I never meant to hurt her. I held her for a little bit.

LE: So did you think at some point she wasn’t going to make it?

Skylar: “ I thought it was my fault. I should have gone to the doctor. I should have told someone. But I was so scared.” I should have told my mom.

(LE: Next?) Skylar: ” I thought-I have to bury her.”

(LE: It’s OK. We’re not judging you. You were all alone. I can’t imagine how you did it by yourself. I’m so sorry. Why did you think you had to bury her?)

Skylar: I couldn’t tell anybody. I didn’t mean any harm to her.

(LE: Everyone deserves a burial).

Skylar: “She deserves better. “

Skylar: I carried her with me, wrapped in a towel, as I got the shovel. I left my dog upstairs when I went outside. I couldn’t dig very deep, I wasn’t strong enough. I hurt so bad. I took her out of the towel before I put her in. I’ve been back there once. It’s hard.

(LE: Did you help yourself with an abortion?)

Skylar: No, I would never.

LE: Did you ever think about it?

Skylar: I’ll be honest, when they told me I was pregnant I asked if I could get an abortion, but they told me I was too far along. I didn’t want to have a baby but I couldn’t get rid of it so I didn’t know what I could do. I never called the place (DR’s) back or anything, because I was scared.

LE: What are we going to see on your phone. About abortion, etc. ?

Skylar: I really don’t know. I didn’t look that much into it. I really didn’t know what I was going to do.

LE: Is there going to be anything there about how to give yourself an abortion?

Skylar: No, I don’t think….no, no, I think the only thing I searched was how not to have a baby or how to get rid of baby, but I never did any of those things…..

LE: Self-abortion and how to get rid of a baby are the same thing …

Skylar: What I saw showed different pills, different ways, different things to do, but I never did anything like that.

LE: Did you get BC at the DR’s?

Skylar: Yes.

LE: Take them?

Skylar: Yes. I didn’t think it would hurt anything …

LE: How many of those did you take? All at once?

Skylar: Once a day. I didn’t think that would hurt anything….

 

[osu]

March 23, 2018 - Good Houskeeping (Interview with family)

Vanessa says their families went on a spring break trip together in late March of last year. "I saw her in a bikini and she in no way, shape, or form looked pregnant. At all," Vanessa says. "I was happy because I was like, 'Oh, she's met this nice boy. She doesn't care about how she looks anymore, doesn't care if she's getting thick.' I mean, the eating disorders were always horrible. So we were all like, 'Oh, yay! She's putting weight on.'"

Why Is This 19-Year-Old on Trial for Murder?

Is this suppose to be photo of BSR in bikini when pregnant? Late March spring break vacation would have been about 6 weeks before delivery.

Like BSR, my cousin was in gymnastics, dance, and cheer outfits since age 4 -- really strong core muscles-- we didn't know she was pregnant until her 8th month.

Maybe the photo on screen is really Aunt Vanessa (Kim's sister) and not BSR...

I think the two photos were supposedly 6 months apart. I believe they were to show her eating disorder and how thin she became in a 6 month period of time.

Yes, I was wondering also if it could be BSR’s aunt? I don't think I’ve seen a pic of her before.

JMO

 

[Hope4More]

I also thought it was odd that her dad kept grilling her on that over and over again. If I found out my child was pregnant, gave birth secretly and buried the possibly stillborn, possibly murdered baby in the backyard I would not be yammering away about if she was SURE she'd been prescribed birth control pills.

I think her father thought it was possible the birth control pills caused the stillbirth, and was asking Skylar if she, essentially, had tried to self-abort by taking the pills. I think that's also why LE asked Skylar some of the same questions, and whether or not she had taken all of them at once.

FWIW. I actually googled "how to get rid of a baby" to see what came up. It didn't take much searching to see results explaining how the morning after pill worked. If Skylar read similar results she would have known taking the BC pills as prescribed wouldn't harm her baby, but that taking even a month's worth at once wouldn't cause a miscarriage or self-abortion either.

 

[fred&edna]

I think it's been only 10 minutes since my last post about googling the legal question... After downloading and reviewing a PDF on Ohio law... My brain cramped. (No big surprise! I'm leaving it for the pros)

 

[squareandrabbet]

The authorial point of view of that Good Housekeeping article is all sorts of sketch (author is clearly biased towards clearing Skylar's name); but if even some of these are true statements, that adds a different light to the situation:

But Skylar's disorder persisted through high school. When she was really sick, Vanessa says, she would come out of the bathroom after clearly having made herself throw up, with red eyes, and smile. "She would come out and go, 'Oh, hi Aunt Vanessa. Can I help you do the dishes or anything?'" Vanessa says. "She's just that kind of person. She doesn't want to make you sad, so she acts happy even if she's struggling on the inside."

Friends, classmates, and family testify to Skylar's kindness, and especially her care for children, like the time she found out a girl in her grade didn't have a homecoming dress and asked her mom to anonymously donate money for a dress to the girl's teacher. Or the fact that she'd always bring coloring books and toys to family gatherings for the younger kids. Or her decision to take a high school job working with babies and children at the YMCA.

"She once texted us a picture of herself at her job at the Y holding a baby saying, 'Perks of work,'" Vanessa says. "We always thought that when she grew up, if she did something other than something with kids, it would be such a waste." One of Skylar's coworkers at the YMCA says Skylar was known as a "baby whisperer" because all the babies would stop crying when she rocked and sang to them.

The aunt's statement is especially interesting to me because it, (1), indicates a culture of silence on the part of the adults of their family in general; (2), paints the picture of Skylar as a pleaser who didn't want to disappoint people; and (3), indicates her capacity for denial (thinking her aunt couldn't tell that she'd just purged a meal), #3 of which is very much in the lines of what I said earlier; that Skylar is operating on the level of the child who thinks if they cover their eyes a grownup can't see them. Can I see that person as a person who would be in denial about everything, basically functioning in a daze under a dream world? I really can.

 

[iluvmua]

She refers to her child as an "It" a lot in the interviews

 

[iluvmua]

I watched about 4 hours of interrogation and never once does BSR mention the name "Annabelle" -- baby is referred to as "it" or "her." Just my own observation.

I noticed that too

 

[iluvmua]

She is really good at trying to play the scared little girl who had no clue whatsoever about what was going on.

I hope the jury sees through the BS that she is trying to pull.

JMO

 

[osu]

I think it's been only 10 minutes since my last post about googling the legal question... After downloading and reviewing a PDF on Ohio law... My brain cramped. (No big surprise! I'm leaving it for the pros)

Thanks for trying! I tried to look it up also but didn’t have any luck.

 

[iluvmua]

1st Interview, continuing where I left off-

*LE: What do you do next"?
S: I put her in my arms, I, She wasn't breathing" "She doesn't have a heartbeat"
"She wasn't breathing"
LE: "Did you ever hear her cry or whimper"?
Skylar shakes her head no

"I Tried to feel it" (In regards to heartbeat)
"I didn't push hard, I just felt it"
Skylar says eyes were closed when asked if eyes were open or closed.

*Skylar does not remember if umbilical cord was attached or not

*In regards to if the placenta came out or not:
"Yeah, It came out, It came out the next day".

*Asked if she had anything to cut the umbilical cord or if she cut the umbilical cord
*Skylar replied "No".
LE: Umbilical cord is usually hooked with placenta
*Skylar: "Oh My Gosh"

 

[Hope4More]

I think it's been only 10 minutes since my last post about googling the legal question... After downloading and reviewing a PDF on Ohio law... My brain cramped. (No big surprise! I'm leaving it for the pros)

(lol about brain cramping)... Not a pro, but the answer is that in Ohio, during the discovery process, the defense IS obligated to turn over to the State "copies or photographs of all evidence the defense intends to introduce (at trial). "

(Ohio's criminal code was actually modified to place an even greater discovery burden upon the defense: an obligation to turn over to the State any evidence of "innocence or alibi.")

 

[Seattle1]

The authorial point of view of that Good Housekeeping article is all sorts of sketch (author is clearly biased towards clearing Skylar's name); but if even some of these are true statements, that adds a different light to the situation:

Judge issued a gag order on this case August 2017, and it was not lifted until March 2018. This was not author sketch but family's first interview dated March 2018 and clearly their perspective -- not the authors.

 

[osu]

(lol about brain cramping)... Not a pro, but the answer is that in Ohio, during the discovery process, the defense IS obligated to turn over to the State "copies or photographs of all evidence the defense intends to introduce (at trial). "

(Ohio's criminal code was actually modified to place an even greater discovery burden upon the defense: an obligation to turn over to the State any evidence of "innocence or alibi.")

Thank you!

 

[Knox]

I'm not familiar with this case, just came across the live trial feed and watched the video of her telling the parents what happened. Didn't read back either.

IMO, the Mom is cold and seems to withhold love and approval from this young girl. Weird dynamic to watch. Can I ask those of you who have followed to chime in and share your opinion?

ETA: trying to make sense of the reason this young girl couldn't go to her Mom when she found out she was pregnant. The act of delivering and burying a baby and not seeking help from her parents shocks me. I could not imagine my own daughter carrying that alone.

 

[iluvmua]

I'm not familiar with this case, just came across the live trial feed and watched the video of her telling the parents what happened. Didn't read back either.

IMO, the Mom is cold and seems to withhold love and approval from this young girl. Weird dynamic to watch. Can I ask those of you who have followed to chime in and share your opinion?

I think mom knew she was pregnant and that is why she is not saying much.

JMO

 

[Mandos]

Finally I've found a place that discusses this case with a focus on the actual evidence! I've read the entire thread and it's been a good read people!

I'm a senior law clerk at one of the courts of appeal in the Netherlands, so seeing the differences in how the trial is conducted in the USA (common law) as compared to a criminal trial in the Netherlands (civil law) has been really interesting to watch.