GUILTY FL - Lakeland girl, 14, charged with killing newborn son, 19 Sept 2012

[grace60]

Whatever laws there are, police clearly have not found anything to charge the mother with. Maybe because 14 year old admits she claimed to her mother she wasn't pregnant and faked a pregnancy test by pouring water on it. It might be hard to charge the mother with anything because it looks that she was misled by her daughter whom she wanted to believe.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/ne...d-girl-charged-with-murdering-her-newborn-boy

"Walked by my house hunched over like she was trying to hide something or get away with something," said Andre Williamson, a neighbor.
Williamson said it was obvious the girl was pregnant. She was often seen getting off the school bus wearing sweatshirts on days when it was 85 degrees or hotter.


Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/ne...-with-murdering-her-newborn-boy#ixzz2CdUK84gY

Authorities say the girl went to great lengths to try and hide the pregnancy by wearing baggy clothing. During labor, she told detectives she bit into a towel so she wouldn't make any noises that would alert her mother who was at home at the time.
"We talked to the mother and the mother was in absolute total denial," said Judd.
Judd said the mother had the teen take two pregnancy tests. The teen, according to Judd, took the pregnancy tests without her mother present in the bathroom. When both test came back inconclusive, Judd says the mother interpreted the results as negative.


Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/ne...-with-murdering-her-newborn-boy#ixzz2CdUZOLGA

 

[grace60]

This is a good article about adults who thought she was pregnant.
http://www.cfnews13.com/content/new...icles/bn9/2012/9/28/deputies_girl_14_gav.html


The girl was a member of a softball team that played at a North Lakeland complex. Her team had even won a championship this summer.

A team official said he and other coaches had confronted the mom about their pregnancy suspicions, but the mother said a test showed her daughter wasn't pregnant.
We spoke with the girl's mother over the phone but she said she didn't want to say anything.

Had the team official and other coaches said she cannot play until we get a note from the DR this the baby may well have been adopted and living with a loving couple who wanted to raise him.

 

[jjenny]

14 year old admits she faked the pregnancy test by putting water on it instead of urine.
Mother clearly was in denial regardless.
But obviously police can not find anything to charge the mother with.
It certainly does appear that 14 year old did go some ways to deceive her mother.

 

[MsFacetious]

Even if the mother believed she was not pregnant... what did the mother think was growing in her daughter?
If this has been a massive cancerous tumor and the daughter died, would we be charging the mother?

 

[jjenny]

Reportedly, 14 year old was wearing baggy clothes in order to cover up her stomach.
So, that makes it hard to charge the mother.
And police already basically stated they can't find anything to charge the mother with.

 

[lisalei321]

I don't understand why this teen wearing baggy clothes would give the Mom a free pass on charges. The Mom was told by several that she needed to be checked out by a doctor, and she still didn't get her medical attention, sounds like neglect to me....

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[JoeFromLB]

I don't know if this has been posted yet. Police have released video of her describing how she killed her baby. This is a disturbing case, to say the least. There's a total absence of emotional affect which is very troubling.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8891665

 

[Linda7NJ]

If she was my daughter I would have dragged her into the bathroom and made her do a preg test infront of me.....someone should have told Momma G. that she is responsible for her 14yr old daughter and her well being, as she obviously does not understand this role of the parent!!!!

14 year old are in the process of becoming sexual beings, hormones make it almost impossible to deny biological urges. A decent parent should realize this and there should be no reason to drag a child anywhere. How hard is it really to talk to your children and let them know that no matter what you'll stand by them, support them, and love them? As the mother of a 14 year old, I constantly tell mine I expect him to make mistakes, that's what kids do. It's my job to help him navigate them and learn for. Them so they aren't repeated.

I find it criminal that the school system teaches nothing but abstinence. Her parents obviously failed this girl and where was the school employees who supposedly should recognize the things parents do? Any decent teacher should have been concerned she was being at least physically abused if she was covering herself in such a suspicious manner.

Plenty of blame to go around for this one. Sad to. D the child is the one that will pay the price. How many young girls will continue to suffer with the stupid abstinence only curriculum?

 

[Linda7NJ]

Thanks was not enough. I saw the mugshot of this sicko and she needs to be locked up because she will offend again. Pure psychopath, no remorse on her face, only defiance.

I think she looks like she's in a disassociated state.

 

[Linda7NJ]

It's strange, when they were talking about this on Nancy Grace, she said that this girl had a very supportive family, that they said they would have taken care of her and the baby. But I have also read where one daughter was disowned...
But yes I agree she was in DEEP denial.

But did they ever tell her they would support her?

 

[Linda7NJ]

I don't think, even in the absence of "rational and reasonable" thought that the horrific crime she committed can be mitigated or lessened in any way.
An 11 year old boy in PA shot and killed his 9 month pregnant stepmom in the back of the head as she slept. He had the foresight to use a pillow as a "silencer", discard the shotgun shell, then make up a story about a mysterious truck when questioned by police. This boy should absolutely be tried as an adult, but unfortunately he will not be. Someone who could disregard another human life so callously and recklessly obviously has major problems and psychology even tells us they can't be fixed. This is even why sociopathy, though present in only a small percentage of the population, pervades our prison system with something like 85% of inmates showing sociopathic traits. I will reiterate MY point. Many young girls, girls as young as 11 have babies. How often do you hear of them going to such steps to hide their pregnancies, then stab and strangle the newborn? She was pregnant for months. She admits she KNEW there were options. The option SHE chose was to bludgeon with scissors and strangle the baby. We hear about cases like this once in a blue moon. Why? Because only people with such a callous disregard for others (the basic definition of a sociopath) could do what this girl did.

I disagree. The 11 year old planned, carried out and lied. That is is a psychopath.

This girl didn't plan on getting pregnant, she didn't plan on giving birth in the bathroom, labor happens. This girl didn't even have a plan after she killed her baby. Her actions were fear based and she believed her survival depended on not having a baby. She thought her only choices were have the baby and give it up for adoption, keep it or get rid of it. She probably had no idea how and where to go early on to legally get rid of it.

I'm not familiar with Florida law, but here in NJ a 14 year old can have an abortion with no parental consent. The problem is most 14 year olds here aren't aware of it, know where and how to get one. That needs to change so things like this don't happen again.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Article above states no family members appeared in court with her, which I find strange. Article also states her attorney is going to try to get her out on bail, but with her questionable home life, I wonder if she would be better off, emotionally speaking, in custody.

Wow, how sad is that? If I lived in Florida,I'd be there for her. How tragic.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Considering that even if he is 14, he still was engaging in illegal behavior (it's not legal for two 14 year olds to have sex in FL), so I really don't think he has a leg to stand on. Considering prosecutor can charge him for having illegal sex.

I just gotta say charging 14 year olds with a crime for having sex is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I can't believe this is even a law

 

[Linda7NJ]

I don't know how I feel about her being tried as an adult. Certainly she made adult decisions and committed what we would consider adult crimes. And she is at an age where she should definitely know right from wrong.

I've watched a lot of "Deadly Women" where women kill. (I ignore the crappy acting and concentrate on the actions of the subject.) And it's obvious some people are just born evil, are sociopathic, narcisistic and should never be among society again. Is this girl one of them???? On the outside looking in, I would say yes. To do what she did to that baby and have no empathy whatsoever is chilling.

I think somehow she managed to emotionally detach herself from her child and didn't see it as a living, breathing individual, outside of herself.

I'm wondering if she had a history of harming animals or other children?

One way or the other, there is something seriously mentally wrong with this girl. Locked up or not, she needs therapy and plenty of it. And even at that if she is a sociopath, it doesn't matter how much therapy she has, she'll never have the capacity for empathy.

If LE decided to charge her as an adult, then they have their reasons, which will come out in the trial. It will be an interesting case to follow, that's for sure.

One more comment, going back to her killing her baby being compared to killing the neighbor down the street. To me, the BIGGEST difference is that the neighbor would have been able to fight back, this poor defenseless baby never had a chance once she decided to kill it.

What if, for the sake of discussion, she viewed it more like a mercy killing to end the baby's suffering? What if she believed he was dying from all the wounds inflicted trying to get him out?

 

[jjenny]

What if, for the sake of discussion, she viewed it more like a mercy killing to end the baby's suffering? What if she believed he was dying from all the wounds inflicted trying to get him out?

Mercy killing isn't legal. So even if we assume that for the sake of discussion, it is not going to change anything.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Mercy killing isn't legal. So even if we assume that for the sake of discussion, it is not going to change anything.

What about morally? Would that change some minds that believe her a psychopath incapable of empathy? Would it still be first degree murder?

 

[FrayedKnot]

I believe with my whole heart that girls (and boys) need to be educated as to their bodies and reproductive rights (and responsibilities).

But I also think that at 14, regardless of her fear and confusion, this girl had to have known that stabbing to death her crowning infant and keeping the corpse in her room until the smell alerted her mom was WRONG.

Yes, the schools need to teach that there are other methods of birth control besides abstinence because we KNOW that doesn't work. It didn't work in the 50's and 60's either, our parents just got married and had us 7 months later!

And yes, it SHOULD be a parent's responsibility to talk to their children about their bodies, sex and pregnancy but too often, they just don't. So if giving the schools the power to educate our kids will eliminate horrific crimes like this one, then more power to them.

I agree with Linda that it is pathetic that the schools keep crowing abstinence in the face of a teen pregnancy epidemic.

 

[jjenny]

What about morally? Would that change some minds that believe her a psychopath incapable of empathy? Would it still be first degree murder?

If I take scissors and stab the hell out of someone, then suffocate them to "end their suffering," is that a mercy killing?

 

[Linda7NJ]

I believe with my whole heart that girls (and boys) need to be educated as to their bodies and reproductive rights (and responsibilities).

But I also think that at 14, regardless of her fear and confusion, this girl had to have known that stabbing to death her crowning infant and keeping the corpse in her room until the smell alerted her mom was WRONG.

Yes, the schools need to teach that there are other methods of birth control besides abstinence because we KNOW that doesn't work. It didn't work in the 50's and 60's either, our parents just got married and had us 7 months later!

And yes, it SHOULD be a parent's responsibility to talk to their children about their bodies, sex and pregnancy but too often, they just don't. So if giving the schools the power to educate our kids will eliminate horrific crimes like this one, then more power to them.

I agree with Linda that it is pathetic that the schools keep crowing abstinence in the face of a teen pregnancy epidemic.

I also think child should be given ALL the information on Safe Haven Laws, abortion clinics, including costs, and places to go, morning after pills, where to get them......everything.

They should probably offer the morning after pill, in school hallways, in a gum all dispenser!

 

[Linda7NJ]

If I take scissors and stab the hell out of someone, then suffocate them to "end their suffering," is that a mercy killing?

Perhaps, if you believed the stabbing was in self defense.