GUILTY MO - Emily Usnick charged in death of newborn, St Elizabeth, 15 Jan 2009

omg wtf NOT AGAIN !!! what the hell is wrong with people ?:furious:
 
I think this one will turn out to be a stillborn with Meth in the bloodstream. In the link it said very young infant.

This is just sad!
 
An update on the article that oceanblueeyes posted:

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=255826

"The Boone County Medical Examiner's office performed an autopsy Thursday morning and says that no cause of death was determined. But we were told that the infant is a girl.

Also, Miller County Sheriff Bill Abbott says that there was no visible signs of abuse on the infant. Abbott also said that it doesn't appear that the infant lived past being a day old."

A newborn girl.
 
So have people been putting dead bodies in their trunks for years & now, because of the internet, we're actually hearing about it more frequently? (well, excluding the mafia & the likes of them.) :waitasec:

Or is this a new way of life for some people & stashing a dead family member / girfriend / neighbor in the trunk just happens like breathing?

:eek:

I'm glad it's almost time to leave the office. I'm getting me a drink to think on this a while. :confused:
 
update from article that Oceanblueeyes posted in post # 1 :

"Update, Friday 11:35 a.m.:

A sixth person is under arrest in connection with the investgation of a Miller County meth lab and the discovery of a dead infant.

Police Thursday arrested 59 year-old Daniel Tellman Sr. He owns the home where the dead infant was found. He's charged with producing and distributing meth.

Court documents we obtained reveal that an informant tipped police off about the meth at the house. The informant said there were two children living in the home and he feared for their safety.
With a search warrent in hand, Miller County deputies discovered a meth lab under the kitchen sink. They say the found a number of chemicals, including ether, lithium battery casings, and sulfuric acid, as well as the equipment needed to cook the drug. They say they found meth in almost every bedroom.
KRCG's Mallory McGowin was in St. Elizabeth Thursday. Neighbors tell her they did not know the people living at Tellman's house, and they say that's unusual for a small town of just over 300. Many St. Elizabeth residents were nervous to talk to Mallory on camera because they fear there may be other members of this drug ring who are not currently in custody.

Folks who frequent the Mertens Mini-Mart just up the road from the house tell Mallory they saw this group of people at the station often and never remember any of the women being pregnant. "


This man's name was mentioned in one of the comments from feb 5, 2009.
 
I'll bet the baby did have meth in the bloodstream. I wonder when the toxicology reports will be in. IMO, if meth is found, then this is murder. I am so sick of reading about infants dying and being hidden. Anyone doing this should have to do LWOP.
 
This is getting to be such a common thing we hear or read - it's beyond ridiculous!

These people need to be punished to the fullest extent. That little girl didn't ask to be born and to throw her away. Perhaps she may have lived if they would have taken her to the hospital upon birth. This is sick! :furious:

There are far too many people, myself included, that would love to have a little baby.

I hope the other two children are removed from that home and given to people who will love them and give them the life they deserve. I know, in dealing with foster care, that a child removed from a meth house doesn't get to bring anything with them - not a favorite blankie, stuffed animal - nothing! So very sad! :mad:
 
So have people been putting dead bodies in their trunks for years & now, because of the internet, we're actually hearing about it more frequently? (well, excluding the mafia & the likes of them.) :waitasec:

Or is this a new way of life for some people & stashing a dead family member / girfriend / neighbor in the trunk just happens like breathing?

:eek:

I'm glad it's almost time to leave the office. I'm getting me a drink to think on this a while. :confused:

People have been stashing dead bodies since the beginning of time.

RIP to this infant girl.
 
http://www.lakenewsonline.com/article/20150929/NEWS/150928724

Over six years after the body of a baby was found wrapped in a plastic bag in the trunk of a car, the mother accused of murdering the infant is still awaiting trial after 26th Judicial Circuit Judge Stan Moore granted a motion to separate filed on behalf of the defense that will delay the jury trial until July 25, 2016...

The mother of the child, Emily Usnick, 36, is charged with five felonies including second degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child and abandonment of a corpse.
 
August 2016:

Mother's murder, drugs case moved again

http://www.newstribune.com/news/news/story/2016/aug/10/mothers-murder-drugs-case-moved-again/635231/

The trial of a Mid-Missouri woman charged with second-degree murder in the death of her infant daughter and with endangering the welfare of another child was moved Monday from Miller County to Johnson County.

According to court records, 26th Circuit Judge Stan Moore filed an order for change of venue Monday to move the trial to Johnson County after complications moving the trial from Miller County to Laclede County.

On Aug. 3, Moore ordered Usnick's case transferred to Laclede County with a jury trial set to start Sept. 12. No date has been set for the trial following the most recent change of venue to Johnson County.
 
Usnick trial moved to Johnson County, trial scheduled for May

http://www.lakenewsonline.com/news/20161212/usnick-trial-moved-to-johnson-county-trial-scheduled-for-may

The case of Emily Usnick was recently transferred over to Johnson County on a change of venue motion granted to the defense. Judge John R. O'Malley is the new judge assigned to the case and has scheduled a motion hearing for April 21, 2017 followed by a jury trial the week of May 10, 2017.

In October, O'Malley sustained the motion to suppress evidence "to all statements made by the defendant from the time she requested an attorney on February 4, 2009 until Mr. Halcomb of the public defender's office entered an appearance on her behalf on February 17, 2009."

The DNA sample taken by buccal swab on February 5, 2009 and the results of the resting on the sample are admissible products of a proper search warrant, according to a case.net filing.
 
Did ‘Baby Usnick’ ever draw breathe? Murder trial’s key question

http://www.lakenewsonline.com/news/20170503/did-baby-usnick-ever-draw-breathe-murder-trials-key-question

A prejudicial, but highly relevant piece of evidence in the State of Missouri vs. Emily Usnick, the case of a Lake area mother charged with second degree felony murder of her infant daughter in 2009, will be presented to the jury during trial.

On Monday in Johnson County Circuit Court, Judge John O’Malley ruled on five separate motions in limine filed by Missouri Public Defender Jason Emmons and Miller County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Winfrey.

The most contested and controversial motion in limine was filed on behalf of the defense to exclude testimony or evidence regarding toxicology reports or blood work results of the fetus purportedly showing 0.43 micrograms/ML of methamphetamine, which the State plans to argue proves the fetus was alive at or near birth and potentially could have been resuscitated.

“I agree it’s somewhat prejudicial, but it’s highly relevant,” O’Malley said, before overruling the motion, but partially sustaining an objection by the defense for the prosecution’s intended language during direct and cross-examination.

O’Malley granted two other motion in limines by the defense to exclude any testimony regarding a lung float test, which Winfrey agreed was not reliable and would not be pursued through pathologist testimony as well as the exclusion of “prior bad acts” evidence or testimony.

In regards to the State’s two motions in limine, O’Malley granted the prohibition of the “other person did it” defense, mental state of defendant and reference to punishment of jury sentencing, which Usnick waived on Monday, delegating the responsibility, if found guilty, to the court.

O’Malley overruled the motion to exclude the issuance of a birth or death certificate, which the State admits doesn’t exist due to the circumstances of the alleged crime.

The two sides agreed they would refer to the fetus as “Baby Usnick” or “Hannah Usnick” and also submitted sets of jury instructions to be taken under advisement by O’Malley.

Voir dire, or jury questioning, is expected to last two to two and a half hours, followed by opening statements and potential State witnesses on Wednesday. The trial is expected to last until Friday or Monday.
 
Trial begins for mom accused of murder

http://www.abc17news.com/news/trial-begins-for-mom-accused-of-murder/491566539

After hours of questioning 75 potential jurors and finally selecting 12, with two alternates, the trial of Emily Usnick is underway in Johnson County.

During opening statements, the defense told the jury no one can be sure when the baby died; before, during, or after birth.

During the emotional opening statements from both sides, Usnick and at least one juror could be seen wiping tears away.

The jury is made up of mostly women, with only three men on the panel. During questioning, the defense focused on who had experience with child birth, complications during birth and giving birth of home.

The state called it’s first witness on Wednesday. Capt. Kip Bartlett testified on the stand about his involvement in finding the baby’s body.

On the stand, Bartlett described the baby as “fully formed, with a full head of hair.”
 
Usnick found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; acquitted of murder in infant’s death

After nearly five and a half hours of deliberation, and some eight years after a decomposing infant was discovered in the trunk of a vehicle, an emotional three-day trial came to an end around 10:00 p.m. Friday night in Warrensburg.

A Johnson County jury of 12 found the infant’s mother, Emily Usnick, not guilty on the State’s charge of second degree felony murder and guilty on one count of first degree involuntary manslaughter. The Class C felony carries a maximum sentence not to exceed seven years of imprisonment.

When the verdict was delivered one after another, not guilty followed by guilty, the courtroom was seemingly silent in anticipation of a reaction that never came. Usnick did not appear to exhibit any emotions, neither did jury members.

Usnick’s original bond of $75,000 was upheld by O’Malley, which she has already posted, and the judge ordered a Sentence Assessment Report to be completed for a hearing at 1:30 p.m. on June 29, 2017. The judge said the defense would have 25 days to file a motion for a new trial, if the defense wishes to do so. Prior to the criminal trial, Usnick had waiver her right to jury sentencing opting for the court’s discretion.

The defendant said she never went to a doctor or took a test to confirm the pregnancy, but felt “butterflies” in her stomach around August or September at which point she said she knew for sure.

“I was struggling to get by,” she told the jury. “I knew I wasn’t capable of taking care of another person at that time. Abortion wasn’t an option.”

Usnick said she had planned to deliver the baby at the hospital and then sign it away to give it a chance at a better life.

After the baby had been delivered into the toilet along with the after-birth, Usnick said she had grabbed a nearby tissue basket and placed the baby on top as she continued to writhe in pain over the toilet.

“She wasn’t moving. I couldn’t stop what was going on at that moment,” Usnick said through tears. “She was beautiful. A little bit pink and blue, she looked like a sleeping baby, silent. She was gone.”

After understanding what had just occurred, Usnick said she had felt like a “failure” and that she had “let her (daughter) down.” Once giving birth and regaining a bit of energy, Usnick shoved a towel between her legs and headed toward her bedroom to rest, bringing the infant along and placing her inside a blue storage bin that would eventually be moved to her car’s trunk, unmovable at this point due to a failed transmission, she said.

Usnick said she had never moved the baby once it was placed in the trunk and described her subsequent interviews with police and in custody as “scary,” “alone” and “intimidating.”

The prosecution sought to discredit pieces of Usnick’s testimony after her testimony, specifically, that the residence she was staying at in St. Elizabeth was remote, not close to any neighbors, or near medical services, nor did her pre-paid cell phone have any minutes or reliable reception.

Winfrey asked the jury to use their “common sense” and deliver “justice” and “dignity” to the child who was never given a chance, he said. The prosecutor said it wasn’t his job to be “dramatic,” but to help the jury reach a verdict by applying the facts to the case.

“She never had a birthday. She never learned how to walk,” Winfrey told the jury. “She lost her past and her future.”

During the defense’s closing statements, Emmons sought to sew doubt in the State’s expert testimony, specifically that of Dr. Carl Stacy, who Emmons pointed out during cross-examination the forensic pathologist had given different answers during a 2012 evidence hearing when posed with similarly posed questions as to how long the baby lived, when it died and whether or not it could have been resuscitated.

“When the State doesn’t know how can they ask you to be certain beyond a reasonable doubt?” Emmon’s pondered. “She didn’t have a choice. That’s the tragedy, but it’s not murder.”

Emmons told the jury that no one knew for sure when the infant had died or what specifically caused the death. He told the jury that possibilities of causes of death were not facts.

Defense argues infant death was not murder

Changing stories, pathology reports in focus at murder trial for death of Miller County infant
 
Woman gets 5 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter of newborn

http://www.abc17news.com/news/crime/woman-gets-5-years-in-prison-for-involuntary-manslaughter-of-newborn/587360770

"(The law) does remember the nameless, the faceless victims, like Hannah Usnick, who will never have an opportunity in life," he said. "During the defendant's entire presentation, I heard how this was a tragedy for the entire family and the entire world, but I didn't hear Hannah's name hardly once."

Despite the emotional testimony, Judge John O'Malley sentenced Usnick to five years in prison.

He said during his ruling that he could see Usnick was not an evil person but despite that, she had to be punished for the crime.
 
Five years total for mother guilty of infant’s manslaughter, drug possession in 2009

http://www.lakenewsonline.com/news/20170721/updated-five-years-total-for-mother-guilty-of-infants-manslaughter-drug-possession-in-2009

On July 14, 2017, Senior Judge John O’Malley sentenced Usnick, 42, to five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, and three days later the former St. Elizabeth resident pled guilty to two remaining charges — second degree endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, and possession of a controlled substance except 35-grams or less of marijuana, a Class C, felony.

O’Malley — who was assigned to the case in August of 2016 when it was transferred from Miller County to Warrensburg — sentenced Usnick to an additional five years for the possession charge to be served concurrently with the manslaughter conviction and 90 days in the Miller County jail with credit for time served for the endangering charge.

Usnick’s total sentence of five years began on July 14 when she was taken into custody following the first of two sentencing hearings in which family members spoke in support of the now remarried mother of four.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
181
Guests online
802
Total visitors
983

Forum statistics

Threads
589,938
Messages
17,927,928
Members
228,007
Latest member
BeachyTee
Back
Top