GUILTY NJ - Bridgeton girl, 14, charged in death of newborn, 4 May 2008

[blaize]

We do need to hear about things like this otherwise they'll just get brushed under the carpet. I'm also of the opinion that cases like this shouldn't be sensationalised, just bare facts & no names.

The back story of how this child ended up pregnant twice between the ages of twelve and fourteen needs to be told too and if there is a history of abuse then that should be dealt with by the courts separately.

 

[philamena]

She killed one, not 2. The firstborn is alive and not in her custody, but I guess lives with her and her father(?? from the article) I think it should be in the news, these stories definitely need exposure. Of course, identities should always be protected.

Sorry the title here stated she killed 2 children.
I will correct my previous post.

From the first article, a quote by one of the cops on the case:

"She is not in the detention center," he said, "but in a secure location." He would not elaborate.

 

[Brefie]

Sorry the title here stated she killed 2 children.
I will correct my previous post.

From the first article, a quote by one of the cops on the case:

No worries :blowkiss: No apology necessary...just wanted to make sure you had the right info

 

[philamena]

No worries :blowkiss: No apology necessary...just wanted to make sure you had the right info

:blowkiss:

 

[capoly]

Motion still pending in drowned baby case
Friday, December 26, 2008

BRIDGETON - The last six months have brought little new developments in the case of a 14-year-old Bridgeton girl charged with murder for allegedly drowning her newborn baby in a public toilet in June.

A motion by the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office to have the teen, identified in a criminal complaint as I.S., tried as an adult - opening her up to stricter sentencing guidelines - has yet to be resolved, according to Prosecutor Ron Casella.


http://www.nj.com/bridgeton/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1230274514258840.xml&coll=10

 

[believe09]

Hmmmm-trying her as an adult. This is a tough one for me. Now if it had been a teen boy who drowned his infant, I would want the book thrown at him but not because that is necessarily the logical response to the situation either.

We have a baby having babies, and then killing her offspring. Did they do DNA on either child to see if a close relative is his father? Where is the little girl's mother in all of this?

I have too many questions, I think.

 

[southcitymom]

This is an awful case, but in no way do I think this girl should be tried as an adult.

 

[kline]

There is nothing in this story to indicate she is being a abused by a family member,while I dont rule that out its kind of scary that we just jump to this conclusion rather then contemplate that this girl might be responsible for her own promiscuity and anti social behavior.
I would have to say that someone who can drown a baby in a toilet and then go party has sufficiently tough bark to engage in irresponsible sex as well.
And excuse me 'Good parents dont wind up with pregnant children...?'
Wow.Thats kind of a blanket self-rightous statement to make about people you dont know.
By that token I would respond with:innocent 14 year old 'victims' dont generaly drown infants in toilets either.
Maybe there is alot to this story we dont know.

 

[mae]

Kline, I agree with your post. Not too many years ago, I had friends that age having sex. And they were not molested, they willingly had sex--for many reasons (seeking attention and love, because they wanted to, because they were pressured, because others were doing it and on and on.) And I doubt they used protection all the time or much at all. I am surprised no one ever got pregnant (that I know about of course). It happens. More often than people think. Kids that age don't always make the best decisions or have the best logical reasoning and common sense skills. It's not about always about good parents or bad parents. We aren't privy to her family dynamics or to info about her life. You just cannot make that kind of judgment based on articles in the media. Just as quick as you can jump to those conclusions, we could say she was freaked out, she knew she'd face some serious wrath from her parents, she was afraid, she feared authority and the consequences, she panicked, she had no resources, she acted stupidly without thinking. She's 14, that wouldn't be too much of stretch. At that age, you don't always make the best decisions, you are part of peer pressure, and birth control is not always readily available. Not that her age excuses her heinous behavior, it doesn't. But it's something to take into consideration when passing judgment on this very sad situation. There are just too many unknowns. We do know she killed a child, but she herself is a child as well--no matter how adult she may act or think she is. She is still a developing person.

It's one of those situations that's tragic an horrific all around. That a person feels the need to resort to such horrific behavior, that she didn't just leave the baby for someone to find, that here was no one she could trust to turn to, that she had no resources to find a better solution to deal with the pregnancy and baby. And that she ultimately killed a baby.

I don't remember exact stats, but from a recent class it's something like 1 in 4 woman will have a pregnancy before 18 (with varying outcomes--having the baby, miscarriage, abortion). Most occur in older teens but not all. Teens under 15 have a much lower pregnancy rate, but it's not 0.

 

[kline]

Kline, I agree with your post. Not too many years ago, I had friends that age having sex. And they were not molested, they willingly had sex--for many reasons (seeking attention and love, because they wanted to, because they were pressured, because others were doing it and on and on.) And I doubt they used protection all the time or much at all. I am surprised no one ever got pregnant (that I know about of course). It happens. More often than people think. Kids that age don't always make the best decisions or have the best logical reasoning and common sense skills. It's not about always about good parents or bad parents. We aren't privy to her family dynamics or to info about her life. You just cannot make that kind of judgment based on articles in the media. Just as quick as you can jump to those conclusions, we could say she was freaked out, she knew she'd face some serious wrath from her parents, she was afraid, she feared authority and the consequences, she panicked, she had no resources, she acted stupidly without thinking. She's 14, that wouldn't be too much of stretch. At that age, you don't always make the best decisions, you are part of peer pressure, and birth control is not always readily available. Not that her age excuses her heinous behavior, it doesn't. But it's something to take into consideration when passing judgment on this very sad situation. There are just too many unknowns. We do know she killed a child, but she herself is a child as well--no matter how adult she may act or think she is. She is still a developing person.

It's one of those situations that's tragic an horrific all around. That a person feels the need to resort to such horrific behavior, that she didn't just leave the baby for someone to find, that here was no one she could trust to turn to, that she had no resources to find a better solution to deal with the pregnancy and baby. And that she ultimately killed a baby.

I don't remember exact stats, but from a recent class it's something like 1 in 4 woman will have a pregnancy before 18 (with varying outcomes--having the baby, miscarriage, abortion). Most occur in older teens but not all. Teens under 15 have a much lower pregnancy rate, but it's not 0.

Thanks,that was the point I was trying to make.
(Probably too stridently its just that 'The Cult Of Victimhood' propaganda sets my teeth on edge.)
Sadly I know lots of good parents who have out of control kids.
And in my teen years also sadly I knew of several girls that young who were sexually active of their own voalition.
I dont know what this girl's circumstances are and Im wiling to bet no one else on this thread does either.
Its just that its disturbing that her father is branded as an incestous rapist and child molester out of the box ' no doubt about it' because thats the way it always turns out on Oprah.

 

[Kymistry35]

I know three sisters who all had babies at 12/13 years old. It wasn't because they were abused sexually, they were just wild girls and their mom gave up trying to control them. Not all promiscuous (sp?) young girls are victims. I feel a lot more sympathy for the baby that was murdered than for this girl.

 

[Bobbisangel]

Kline, I agree with your post. Not too many years ago, I had friends that age having sex. And they were not molested, they willingly had sex--for many reasons (seeking attention and love, because they wanted to, because they were pressured, because others were doing it and on and on.) And I doubt they used protection all the time or much at all. I am surprised no one ever got pregnant (that I know about of course). It happens. More often than people think. Kids that age don't always make the best decisions or have the best logical reasoning and common sense skills. It's not about always about good parents or bad parents. We aren't privy to her family dynamics or to info about her life. You just cannot make that kind of judgment based on articles in the media. Just as quick as you can jump to those conclusions, we could say she was freaked out, she knew she'd face some serious wrath from her parents, she was afraid, she feared authority and the consequences, she panicked, she had no resources, she acted stupidly without thinking. She's 14, that wouldn't be too much of stretch. At that age, you don't always make the best decisions, you are part of peer pressure, and birth control is not always readily available. Not that her age excuses her heinous behavior, it doesn't. But it's something to take into consideration when passing judgment on this very sad situation. There are just too many unknowns. We do know she killed a child, but she herself is a child as well--no matter how adult she may act or think she is. She is still a developing person.

It's one of those situations that's tragic an horrific all around. That a person feels the need to resort to such horrific behavior, that she didn't just leave the baby for someone to find, that here was no one she could trust to turn to, that she had no resources to find a better solution to deal with the pregnancy and baby. And that she ultimately killed a baby.

I don't remember exact stats, but from a recent class it's something like 1 in 4 woman will have a pregnancy before 18 (with varying outcomes--having the baby, miscarriage, abortion). Most occur in older teens but not all. Teens under 15 have a much lower pregnancy rate, but it's not 0.

Girls are having sex younger and younger these days. I wonder what would happen if they took a secret poll starting in the 6th grade through high school and asked the girls to mark yes or no...have you had sexual intercourse... on a piece of paper without giving their names. I think everyone would be surprised to find how many girls have already had intercourse. Many young girls now days don't see a thing wrong with it either and they don't believe they will get pregnant. The girls come from all types of familys it doesn't seem to matter.

I realize that this girl has already had one baby so she knew that she could get pregnant again. I wonder if she could talk to her dad and have him take her to get birth control or what? Like you said...we just don't know enough about the dynamics of this family to make a judgement. The dad can't be all bad if he is raising the first baby. I just wonder why this young girl ended up making the decision that she did about the second baby. That I would like to know. I don't even want to make a guess because there could be so many reasons. No doubt that this little girl needs some serious help. Once she was pregnant again it is to bad that some agency didn't take her under their wing and help her with options concerning the baby....adoption, etc. Maybe someone did...I don't know that either. It is just sad that a girl this young is having babies one right after the other which led to this horrific event. Where is her mother anyway? I would really like to know more about her and her circumstances.

 

[OkieGranny]

From October 2009:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/nj_teen_is_sentenced_522_days.html

A New Jersey teenager who pleaded guilty to drowning her newborn in a toilet tank has been sentenced to 522 days in the Cumberland County Detention Center...

Sanchez also will have to serve a two-year probationary term after her release.