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

[dixiegirl1035]

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.
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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:
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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….

Thanks for taking the time to do so much of the summary. I still can't get over why she was taking the pills everyday. She knew she wasn't needing protection.

And, if she did so because she thought her mother was monitoring her pills, why didn't she just throw them in the toilet.

 

[Seattle1]

I feel sorry for her Dad. What I hear is a man trying to make sense of absolute craziness. A seasearch warrant was served on his home, ppl are digging in his back yard, the police request he contact his 18 yr old daughter so she can be interrogated. His wife is very self involved, he is trying to understand and NO father wants to assume his daughter murdered and buried a baby in the backyard. Damn right he wants to blv it's the doctors fault. I would and I'd pray it was the case. Its heartbreaking all around.

I read dad as both peacekeeper (between mother & daughter) and enabler.

He literally shut down Kim at least twice in the interrogation room!

Yes, it is very heartbreaking all around.

Watching videos today, I'm worried BSR will make it to the end of trial -- she appears so frail to me.

MOO

 

[Seattle1]

Manipulation in Families with Eating Disorders

Psychology Today

[...]

Sometimes the child is quite aware of her/his manipulative behavior. Other times the behavior is so much a part of the personality that it feels quite natural and is invisible to the child. An excellent example of the latter is people pleasing: the act of making people around you happy so as to mitigate any negative emotional fallout—“If I make you happy, maybe you won’t get angry at me.” This is common for a person with an eating disorder, and it is a form of manipulation.

Parental Self-Reflection

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and parents of people with eating disorders are often just as “guilty” of using manipulation to get what they need out of their children—this manipulative behavior was learned somewhere.

bbm

 

[squareandrabbet]

Don't forget, I haven't seen anybody yet try to unpack the part about how her family (read: "Kim", as Aunt Vanessa didn't seem like she was obsessed with Skylar's weight); allegedly didn't know for years that you don't praise a bulimic for losing weight, or make her weight a central topic of conversation. I've got one friend who was confronted in the early days of her bulimia by her father, and stopped because she didn't want to be watched like a hawk around her own house, so maybe I don't understand how this works; but it does seem there are ways to shut the impulse down.

Also, there are worse fatherhood fails, but if Dad is so all-fired capable of shutting down Mom, he should have been doing more of it when she was browbeating Skylar in whatever manner she browbeats Skylar at home; because the stuff he says in the interrogation room certainly doesn't seem to "take" with Kim.

 

[iluvmua]

Maybe he means with other cases?

Maybe

 

[Seattle1]

Thanks for taking the time to do so much of the summary. I still can't get over why she was taking the pills everyday. She knew she wasn't needing protection.

And, if she did so because she thought her mother was monitoring her pills, why didn't she just throw them in the toilet.

Skylar told detectives she searched internet how to end pregnancy.

The first thing that comes up in google search is citation from Planned Parenthood for combined meds mifepristone and misoprostol (commonly known as the "abortion pill"):

First, you take a pill called mifepristone. Pregnancy needs a hormone called progesterone to grow normally. Mifepristone blocks your body's own progesterone, stopping the pregnancy from growing.

As there was no medical reason for Skylar to ingest birth control pills while pregnant, I believe she read "progesterone" and mistakenly believed taking the pills would end her pregnancy.

Clearly her doctor didn't tell her to begin taking them while pregnant -- he only gave her the script because her mom was in the waiting room expecting Skylar to walk out of the clinic with it!

I get the feeling the doctor will be back on the witness stand before the trial concludes.

MOO

ETA: See Police interrogation video 15:00-17:00 - BSR states she searched pills to end pregnancy.

 

[iluvmua]

I just joined one of the FB groups for the case. They are taking a poll and there are more people who are either Undecided/NG/Hung/Guilty on the lesser charges categories than those who think she is G of murder. So we aren't really in the minority.

I'm in the NG/Undecided/Guilty of the lesser charges areas.

That it is the private one and we can't discuss anything from there on here.

 

[mike balto]

I didn't get the feeling he was talking about other cases. She said she didn't want to hurt her baby. He said unfortunately we know it has happened before. And then she said I know. Come on.


Isn't one of the reasons they think it's burning, besides the fact that she said she burned the baby is that part of the body is missing and isn't it the same part that she said that she burned? The leg and the foot? She must have used lighter fluid but I didn't know wet things could burn. I think she started to burn it in the fire pit and her mother convinced her just to bury it.

 

[iluvmua]

I didn't get the feeling he was talking about other cases. She said she didn't want to hurt her baby. He said unfortunately we know it has happened before. And then she said I know. Come on.


Isn't one of the reasons they think it's burning, besides the fact that she said she burned the baby is that part of the body is missing and isn't it the same part that she said that she burned? The leg and the foot? She must have used lighter fluid but I didn't know wet things could burn. I think she started to burn it in the fire pit and her mother convinced her just to bury it.

It is hard to say what her mother kbew or did not know at this point.

I think she either knew or had a suspicion that she was pregnant.
Jmo

 

[fred&edna]

I once knew a girl very much like BSR and a mother just like hers. And, of course, this influences my opinions greatly.

It was years ago and society has changed greatly since then, but I'm quite surprised at the similarities of the circumstances. (Eating disorder, intelligent honor student, good girl, and cheerleader). Her parents were disgusted by her denied, hidden pregnancy... And the fact the cheerleading coach and school staff intensely pressured her to admit the truth.

No, she didn't deliver the baby alone in her home nor did she bury it in the backyard. But... She nor her baby is living.

I don't know if I feel better or worse for posting this.

 

[mike balto]

It is hard to say what her mother kbew or did not know at this point.

I think she either knew or had a suspicion that she was pregnant.
Jmo

The mother had a daughter getting a belly living in her own house for nine months. The mother got a call from the clinic that said her daughter was pregnant. The mother got a text from her daughter the day after the baby was gone talking about a huge weight loss overnight, but I have a theory nobody has mentioned yet. Everybody wants the mom to be the bad guy here but what if the mom is abused by the dad and therefore abuses the daughter? Sometimes abusive fathers will play the women of the house off each other. The father here looks like a nice guy but he might just be the one who's taking the strong controlling role... because that's what he does when they're out in public... we can't know everything by what we see in those interviews.

When I was a teenager girl, my dad was very abusive towards my mom and me but he would play us off each other and act like he was my buddy and she was being mean, when in reality, she defended me a lot more but didn't play Politics as well as him.

I remember feeling like I had some kind of agreement with my dad as a teenager that my mom was crazy, despite the fact that my dad was very physically abusive and mentally and emotionally abusive for a long time before, during, and after my adolescence... its a sick dynamic.

I think people here are naive to think they didn't know they were being recorded. They have seen cop shows. I also think that some of the way they act while they're supposed to not know they're being recorded is for the camera.

 

[mike balto]

I once knew a girl very much like BSR and a mother just like hers. And, of course, this influences my opinions greatly.

It was years ago and society has changed greatly since then, but I'm quite surprised at the similarities of the circumstances. (Eating disorder, intelligent honor student, good girl, and cheerleader).

No, she didn't deliver the baby alone in her home nor did she bury it in the backyard. But... She nor her baby is living.

I don't know if I feel better or worse for posting this.

That's sad and I'm sorry for your loss. But yes, there are profiles of people and their behavior is somewhat easy to predict given certain structural factors in play.

 

[MTW2011]

About 14:54 Skylar says It's my own baby, I would never try to hurt it.
Dad says Unfortunately honey it's happened before and Skylar says I Know.

Maybe he means with other cases?

That’s what I thought. Referencing that mothers have killed their babies before. On a FB group I’m on someone said that meant she’s had a child before and killed it before

 

[mike balto]

Families don't speak about vagaries in a way to lecture one another in a way that sounds exactly like a father saying oh yeah, you have specifically hurt your baby before and a daughter saying I know I did. It really did not sound like they were talking about vague other unmentioned cases in the media at that point.

I'm going to say something cynical probably before retiring from this thread and this case because I'm getting annoyed, I really think some people hate the state so much they want to pretend like she didn't do it just cuz they don't want the state to win a case.

Just because the family Dynamic might be screwed or the parents might be abusive, it doesn't mean she didn't knowingly and intentionally kill her baby and that's not a criminal act. There are plenty of kids from abusive families that don't kill. There are plenty of bulimics that don't kill.

 

[squareandrabbet]

I didn't get the feeling he was talking about other cases. She said she didn't want to hurt her baby. He said unfortunately we know it has happened before. And then she said I know. Come on.


Isn't one of the reasons they think it's burning, besides the fact that she said she burned the baby is that part of the body is missing and isn't it the same part that she said that she burned? The leg and the foot? She must have used lighter fluid but I didn't know wet things could burn. I think she started to burn it in the fire pit and her mother convinced her just to bury it.

That’s what I thought. Referencing that mothers have killed their babies before. On a FB group I’m on someone said that meant she’s had a child before and killed it before

IMO, that's an absurdly esoteric reading of the English language, and I can't quite believe anyone is considering this seriously.

If her father meant that, he'd have said "You've done it before".

We would certainly know if prior pregnancies of Skylar was a thing that the police were investigating.

Also, as for the "foot missing because it was burned" theory, it wouldn't be missing because it was burned up to nothing, unless Skylar took it and hid it somewhere else because she couldn't bear for it to be with the rest of the baby. We recently had a discussion on another thread, where evidence was shown that it's scientifically impossible to burn up 100% of bone to ash, with only common household firestarting tools. Crematoriums pulverize bone into tiny chunks in order to get it to burn into a mere pile of ashes; and they employ much hotter heat than anything we can get our hands on over the counter. You can only char it a little on the outside.

 

[Heaven Leigh]

Is her shaking from moving her leg or foot nervously ..or is it from nerves ? Hard to tell.
She knew she was pregnant and had plenty of time to tell someone and get help and have a plan. She knew the baby would eventually come. Scared or not no excuse. imo.

 

[gitana1]

Don't forget the dad's doleful "I just hope you're not going to jail... you'll never get to finish that bag of potato chips" (!?). I'm not inclined to give her father a pass either. That strikes me as standard insecure behavior designed to keep Skylar off balance; closer, in fact, to the policeman doing the interrogation! #1, what is Skylar supposed to do about going to jail at this point in time? #2, what is the point of rubbing it in to her that she's losing an unaccustomed treat??

Yeah. I think the mom is the worst but it's overall horrible. The dad is terrible too. It's no mystery why she made the choices I think she made. With parents like that she was cornered, in a sense.

 

[Gardenista]

Is her shaking from moving her leg or foot nervously ..or is it from nerves ? Hard to tell.
She knew she was pregnant and had plenty of time to tell someone and get help and have a plan. She knew the baby would eventually come. Scared or not no excuse. imo.

On CourtTV, a reporter who has been in the courtroom every day was asked this question and the reporter said she not her shaking her leg.

 

[zea mays]

^^bbm

First, I have a disclaimer to add about this case: summer of 2017, I spent a month in Oxford, OH (college town) where you could not cross the street without hearing about BSR and her dead baby buried in her backyard.

As I've been aware of the case for some time, there are a few things I read or heard early on that are difficult to forget.

In the beginning, unfair attacks against the BSR and her family were rampant, and IMO, things finally calmed down only after a gag order was issued Aug 2017 - and not lifted until March 2018.

When the gag order lifted, the Richardson family (including mom Kim) spoke to magazine reporter for the first time. Ever since, the following words by Kim always stuck with me:

Kim stated that she didn't believe Skylar burned her baby-- but she couldn't leave it there...

She went on to added that any ash found with the baby remains could be from BSR's prom flowers that were on the fire pit.

Kim said Skyler dropped the then wilting flowers Brandon had given her -- a bunch of small sweetheart roses-- into the pile of ash for the next burn. (Am I the only one that kept prom flowers pressed in a book)?

But as she dug Annabelle's grave, Skylar remembered the flowers, and retrieved them. Kim says Skylar recalled placing a pink rose on her grandmother's casket the year prior, and decided to do the same for the baby. (But grandmother had the dignity of a casket).

"That was all she had to give her," Kim says, "and they were her favorite color: pink." Skylar covered her baby's body with the flowers - and the ash coating them - before scooping the dirt back over the grave.

For me, it just doesn't follow that you would toss your naked, newborn daughter in a freshly dug hole in the ground, but stop to add flowers from the fire pit. I always thought Kim knew more about any alleged burning attempts, and wanted to explain any evidence that might exist.

This 2017 case was also drawn out for several reasons including late appeal by defense to prevent the ob-gyn doctor and his staff from testifying -- arguing that doctors should not be allowed to testify, citing physician-patient privilege.

The district court ruled that prosecutors could present testimony from the obstetrics-gynecology practice's medical staff. (The appeals court ruled that public interest in detecting crimes to protect society outweighed doctor-patient privilege in this case).

As late as March of this year, the defense again asked the Ohio Supreme Court to intervene with the use of her doctor’s comments in the trial, but the court refused.

MOO

Defense repeats request for Ohio Supreme Court to intervene in buried newborn case

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

I find it fascinating that mom was REALLY trying to mitigate what she thought the evidence of burning was. That's very telling of the conversations happening in the home and with the defense lawyers to me.

Actually, there were animal bones found but not with the baby in the grave. I believe they were said to be chicken bones -- found in the fire pit.

Yes, the evidence tech who did the second search recalled her surprise at walking over the fire pit an almost immediately seeing a bone. And then the same thing happened at the grave site. Strange.

Watching a clip of the interrogation when BSR is alone with female investigator, did anybody else notice that BSR and the female (Katy?) appear to know each other? I'm wondering if she may be the school resource officer.

I think she was. She says a couple times "I'm just in here to make you comfortable because you know me" and at another point I believe she said something about seeing her around school.

I am not saying you could be wrong. I was just trying to find another picture of them together. I do not think that was a good comparison picture the defense put up. I don't see how anyone could see any weight differences between the 2 pictures. At least I couldn't. moo

People with eating disorders can definitely see the difference between the two pictures. I think it was foolish to portray that her weight fluctuated wildly with these two pictures. They will not resonate with the jury at all.

I don't think you're necessarily in the minority. We shall see what evidence there is. And whether these detectives who kept reassuring her and calling her sweetheart "coerced" her into confessing to squeezing her baby too hard and admitting the baby was moving and gurgling prior to that, on the second day of interrogation.

Referring to those of us who have analyzed the facts and come to a different conclusion than you as the "peanut gallery" is offensive. We have some bright minds on here and while many disagree most are capable of logic and polite discussion. The only people I have seen angrily dissecting other's point of view are those who believe there has been a witch hunt. Not those who believe she killed her infant.

I agree she is a sick girl. And while I feel there has to be accountability and consequences for such conduct to deter it in the future, this issue is a complex one. In many ways Skylar was a victim prior to this. And her life indeed has been ruined by this tragedy. One I believe was caused by the actions of her mother and the choices she herself made.

Of course how much "choice" a person actually has in a situation varies depending on how they were raised, who they are and what they've been taught.

This is a complex situation. As most are. Nothing is that black and white.

People who have eating disorders have crazy self control and are used to doing things in a stealthy manner.

Exactly - and there are at least two of us on this thread who have had very quiet unmedicated births. Some people just handle it fine and she had intense motivation to keep quiet.

Just catching up here so forgive me if this is widely known -- was the baby shown to be female by her doctors/through US at some earlier point? Otherwise, if her time with the newborn was so brief, and amidst such trauma, when was she concerned enough or able to determine its sex?

Using "her," let alone "Annabelle," just strikes me as odd under the circumstances described. This is a bit of a flyer, but it may be worth noting too that the name Annabelle has some connotations for teenagers post-2014, after that eponymous entry in the Conjurer franchise came out -- a doll, not quite human, with frightening powers. My kids, who are much younger, are actually uncomfortable just hearing that name after enduring all kinds of gory rehearsals of the movie in the school ground (as us oldsters might have been with "Jason" or "Michael Myers" or "Freddie Krueger")

Again, this is not meant to be a detailed theory -- just a few scattered thoughts.

I've thought about that connection and the name, too. I just asked my almost 15 yo daughter what the name "Annabelle" meant to her and she first said "nothing" and I said "no movies?" and she "oh yeah, that's immediately what I thought but I thought you were talking about someone in our life". So that's interesting.

This is pretty much precisely why young women conceal their pregnancies and kill their newborns. Terrified of mommy's wrath.

Exactly. This case has inspired several conversations to my daughter's chagrin. I've told her several times that this is a family situation to deal with and not a her alone situation to deal with. That, while I'd be disappointed and might even yell at her for probably two days (lol) I'd get over it and we'd all be fine.

Families don't speak about vagaries in a way to lecture one another in a way that sounds exactly like a father saying oh yeah, you have specifically hurt your baby before and a daughter saying I know I did. It really did not sound like they were talking about vague other unmentioned cases in the media at that point.

I'm going to say something cynical probably before retiring from this thread and this case because I'm getting annoyed, I really think some people hate the state so much they want to pretend like she didn't do it just cuz they don't want the state to win a case.

Just because the family Dynamic might be screwed or the parents might be abusive, it doesn't mean she didn't knowingly and intentionally kill her baby and that's not a criminal act. There are plenty of kids from abusive families that don't kill. There are plenty of bulimics that don't kill.

I have two opinions about the case - 1 is based on what I think happened (she killed the baby through neglect after birth, buried the baby, and tried to move on); the second is based on what I think the state has proven which at this point is not much. I haven't formed this opinion totally because we haven't seen the whole case yet. I don't love the state's tactics, but I don't love that defense lawyer either. They both get under my skin.

 

[gitana1]

I once knew a girl very much like BSR and a mother just like hers. And, of course, this influences my opinions greatly.

It was years ago and society has changed greatly since then, but I'm quite surprised at the similarities of the circumstances. (Eating disorder, intelligent honor student, good girl, and cheerleader). Her parents were disgusted by her denied, hidden pregnancy... And the fact the cheerleading coach and school staff intensely pressured her to admit the truth.

No, she didn't deliver the baby alone in her home nor did she bury it in the backyard. But... She nor her baby is living.

I don't know if I feel better or worse for posting this.

Oh my gosh.