OH - Annabelle Richardson, newborn, found in shallow grave, Carlisle, 7 May 2017 #2

[Jewels53]

Because of her irregular periods and fluctuating weight I wonder if Skylar herself thought it was Brandon's baby. Do we know when she and Brandon started dating?

January 2017, so too late to father the baby. I believe it was Tre that was the father.

 

[Winterhike]

Because of her irregular periods and fluctuating weight I wonder if Skylar herself thought it was Brandon's baby. Do we know when she and Brandon started dating?

Interesting. When asked in interview video #1 (by her father, maybe also by the police but I can't remember), she didn't hesitate to name T, the boy from the previous August, which she must have figured out definitively once the baby was born looking full-term or close to full-term. But I wonder at what point she really knew she was probably pregnant, like did she know it was his and not Brandon's the whole time? Her internet searches prior to the April doctor visit reveal she at least had a suspicion she was pregnant. But did she wonder throughout the fall and winter, or did she have no idea? I actually think if she knew or suspected much earlier that could change her level of culpability, maybe not legally but in my opinion.

 

[iluvmua]

We can't forget that she just gave birth alone and was in process of birthing the placenta, and was likely bleeding pretty heavily. She may have only been trying to stem the flow or wedging a towel between her legs before trying to grab the baby up. We don't know the second by second occurrences but we can imagine she had to have been in sheer panic doing this all alone.

That is why you call 911 or wake up your brother across the hall or go downstairs and wake up your parents

 

[gitana1]

Not sure I agree, it could be a child I don’t know, a puppy, my greatest enemy, my human instinct would be to immediately remove a living being from a pool of blood, urine, feces, and bacteria. And I think most people would agree that’s a reasonable response.

Yours. Your instinct. It is a reasonable response but these aren't reasonable people. Neonaticidal women don't view their babies as living beings. Not as human. Not like puppies. They perceive them more like feces or excess weight. I've cited the research here earlier.

 

[iluvmua]

Bottom line is she simply under no circumstances did she want thus child. Jmo

 

[gitana1]

That is why you call 911 or wake up your brother across the hall or go downstairs and wake up your parents

Yeah she wasn't in sheer panic. Every battle field has dying people in a panic and the most common thing they do is cry out for their mothers.

The only teen who wouldn't cry out for help from parents who are literally in the next room is one who was intent on concealing the birth. Because panic overrides everything.

 

[zea mays]

This is so sad, because from Dad's perspective it's likely true. But texts with Mom make it clear that a baby would be life ruining, and there would be no one to care for it if BSR went to school.

All while likely knowing her daughter was actually pregnant. I mean, she looked pregnant and Mom had received notification from the Dr. that she was pregnant. FFS. She doesn't seem an idiot and she had two children herself. C'mon now.

Yes, I agree. I was just worried they were going to go into the "Skylar is a liar" path and I didn't think that would be effective.

 

[Tillicum]

Interesting. When asked in interview video #1 (by her father, maybe also by the police but I can't remember), she didn't hesitate to name T, the boy from the previous August, which she must have figured out definitively once the baby was born looking full-term or close to full-term. But I wonder at what point she really knew she was probably pregnant, like did she know it was his and not Brandon's the whole time? Her internet searches prior to the April doctor visit reveal she at least had a suspicion she was pregnant. But did she wonder throughout the fall and winter, or did she have no idea? I actually think if she knew or suspected much earlier that could change her level of culpability, maybe not legally but in my opinion.

She may have thought it was Brandon's and an abortion was still an option to her until the Dr told her how far along she was.

 

[Hope4More]

Yeah she wasn't in sheer panic. Every battle field has dying people in a panic and the most common thing they do is cry out for their mothers.

The only teen who wouldn't cry out for help from parents who are literally in the next room is one who was intent on concealing the birth. Because panic overrides everything.

(That's one interpretation of how panic manifests, anyway).

If you really believe that Kim had implicitly instructed Skylar to get rid of the baby, and that the baby was born alive, then what follows logically is that Skylar didn't call out for help because she knew what her mother expected her to do and did it.

 

[Mariposa]

This is so sad, because from Dad's perspective it's likely true. But texts with Mom make it clear that a baby would be life ruining, and there would be no one to care for it if BSR went to school.

All while likely knowing her daughter was actually pregnant. I mean, she looked pregnant and Mom had received notification from the Dr. that she was pregnant. FFS. She doesn't seem an idiot and she had two children herself. C'mon now.

I find it pretty easy to imagine what was in Skylar's head with regards to how Mama Kim was going to respond if a newborn baby was suddenly born. I can picture Kim making Skylar's life hell for it. Kim was directing and encouraging her 'eating disordered since middle school' daughter to ABUSE laxatives. She is a sicko.

 

[Seattle1]

Can she? Do we know if she was sequestered for the prosecution for sure, or could she be called as a defense witness? I’ve heard that the state had her as a witness, but do we know for sure?

I was under the assumption that once the state rested, they could not call any more witnesses. If she WAS a witness for the state, I can’t figure out why she wouldn’t have been called! I can’t figure it out.

BSR's dad testified that her mom was seated outside the courtroom everyday because she was subpoenaed by the State as a witness for the State. The State rested it's case on Monday without calling mom as a witness-- which was at their discretion. (IMO, mom would have likely been a hostile witness if called by the prosecution).

Can mom still be called as witness by prosecution?

The admission of rebuttal evidence is at the discretion of the trial judge. Rebuttal evidence is limited to that which explains, refutes, or contradicts evidence offered by the defense during the presentation of its case. For example, if the defense calls a witness to testify about the defendant's alibi, the prosecution may call a rebuttal witness to testify that the alibi is not true.

Rebuttal evidence may include testimony from newly discovered witnesses, as well as additional testimony from witnesses who previously testified in the trial. Like all aspects of the trial, rebuttal examination should be driven by the defendant's theory of the case.

Rebuttal Examination - Criminal Defense Wiki.

 

[Hope4More]

Yours. Your instinct. It is a reasonable response but these aren't reasonable people. Neonaticidal women don't view their babies as living beings. Not as human. Not like puppies. They perceive them more like feces or excess weight. I've cited the research here earlier.

Women who view their babies as feces or excess weight aren't succeptable to having a need to properly bury their baby used against them as a tactic to elicit a confession.

 

[justice2962]

Haaaa -- I knew Brandon's mom was probably questioning her weight-- likely suspected BSR was pregnant!

Reading these texts make me think that Skylar and her mom are exactly alike. I don't think it's just the mom who likes to keep up appearances, it's both of them.
Two peas in a pod. MOO

 

[Winterhike]

I find it pretty easy to imagine what was in Skylar's head with regards to how Mama Kim was going to respond if a newborn baby was suddenly born. I can picture Kim making Skylar's life hell for it. Kim was directing and encouraging her 'eating disordered since middle school' daughter to ABUSE laxatives. She is a sicko.

I wonder if while Skylar was undergoing treatment for her eating disorder, she ever talked with any of the professionals trying to help her about the direct and implicit messages she was getting from her mother. The ones telling her to "find a way" to keep her weight down and congratulating her for "bossing up" her workouts so she could look so cute and make everybody proud. Or did Skylar know that she should keep this a secret, that her mother was conspiring with her eating disorder to keep her sick, and that she was expected not to tell anyone?
I think all of this could be part of the pattern of how Skylar was raised and trained and pathologized into keeping terrible secrets, which may have impacted her her response and the decisions she made in 2017. Again, NOT AN EXCUSE, just could be part of how her brain worked or failed to work at the time. If I were the defense team I might want to talk to some of those therapists or whoever else treated her, especially considering in this situation the OBGYN was allowed to testify despite doctor-patient privilege.

 

[Tillicum]

Reading these texts make me think that Skylar and her mom are exactly alike. I don't think it's just the mom who likes to keep up appearances, it's both of them.
Two peas in a pod. MOO

Agreed. They both want to control too IMO. I think Skylar buried her newborn in a dirty hole in the yard so she had control over whether or not she might be found. Too much risk she would be discovered if discarded in the trash JMO.

 

[Hoosgirl]

Karin Johnson WLWT
@karinjohnson

I learned during the break that Judge Oda allowed the defense to call Scott Richardson, Skylar's father, to the stand despite the separation of witnesses bc he has been designated as a victim's representative... the victim being Annabelle.
@wlwt
#skylarrichardson
1:32 PM · Sep 10, 2019·Twitter Web App

 

[osu]

Law and crime stream worked well without buffering, thank you! I do prefer YouTube so I can open it in multiple channels and still surf the net on my phone, but I don't see any YouTube live feeds.

Sorry for the late reply (RL) but I think Law & Crime have a free app also where you should be able to watch live. You could download their app and then be able to surf the net while the live feed is playing.

 

[Mariposa]

I think all of this could be part of the pattern of how Skylar was raised and trained and pathologized into keeping terrible secrets, which may have impacted her her response and the decisions she made in 2017. Again, NOT AN EXCUSE, just could be part of how her brain worked or failed to work at the time. If I were the defense team I might want to talk to some of those therapists or whoever else treated her, especially considering in this situation the OBGYN was allowed to testify despite doctor-patient privilege.

I see what you mean, however I think the defense team might want to not delve too deeply into the pathology of Skylar and her family, the issues of control and secrets. They could have gone into more by questioning Scott Richardson about it or even calling Kim Richardson. But by pushing that angle too hard, I think they would detract from the main thrust of the defense which is that Skylar's baby was indeed stillborn (or at least it is not shown beyond a reasonable doubt that the baby was live born) and hence it is not murder.

 

[geevee]

That is why you call 911 or wake up your brother across the hall or go downstairs and wake up your parents

Not if the sole reason you're going through all of this alone is because you're terrified to tell them.

 

[Seattle1]

Because of her irregular periods and fluctuating weight I wonder if Skylar herself thought it was Brandon's baby. Do we know when she and Brandon started dating?

Brandon testified they started dating about January 30, 2018, and had know each other for about a month before they started dating.

One of the first things dad asked BSR when he walked in the room after Interrogation #1 was who is the father. Like her dad, Brandon also texted BSR wanting to know who the father of the baby was -- he obviously knew it wasn't him. (Either they'd not yet been intimate, or Brandon didn't believe a baby conceived Feb - April would be delivered on May 7).

MOO