GUILTY GUILTY OF ABUSE OF A CORPSE ONLY OH - Annabelle Richardson, newborn, found in grave 7 May 2017 #3

[dixiegirl1035]

If we get a verdict we will have to wait for Skylar to come back. She left the courthouse with her parents. She waived her right to be present for jury questions.

Lauren Pack@LPack JN
Judge Oda is talking to Skylar about whether she wants to be present if the jury should have a question if she waives her right to be present. She answers, "yes."
@journalnews

Is that a strategy by the defense attorney? That neither She, nor her parents want to be there. What strategy would that be? Did her parents don't want to be in front of the camera? That she doesn't want to be in front of the camera? This is bizarre! M o o

 

[gitana1]

I think what makes this case so difficult is that it's not about malice. It's about fear. Fear of an 18 yo personality disordered woman with ******, dysfunctional parents. We can not overlook their role in all of this. She was still in high school, living under their care. Then you add Kim's knowledge of the pregnancy and those text exchanges. And on the other hand you have a helpless newborn, all alone in the dark of night likely suffocated to death.

Yes. That's the bottom line. People understand that a young woman like this, a teen, does what she does due to a combination of immaturity and fear.

Sadly I think because the poor baby doesn't live more than seconds or minutes, it's harder for people to attach to the child, and to see such a child as a complete human being.

That only seems to change if it can be proved that the baby died a horrible death- like head bashed in.

 

[Curiosum]

I guess most people here that have children, realize that they share that with others and no matter what the time frame, they prepare. Perhaps some posters here did not prepare in any way or tell anybody before the baby came out of her vagina, " oh oh my gosh she was stillborn so I don't need to do anything", but that just is different than the normal to me.

Moo

But I respect a Viewpoint if that is what someone thinks is normal that preparations aren't needed until the baby is out of your vagina. I saw no preparation.

I have a physician colleague who did not buy a single thing (no not even a diaper) for her (now much loved and then very much wanted) daughter until after she delivered a live child. Amazon Prime was great for them!

My own physician husband didn’t really believe that we would actually be bringing home a live baby until our son was strapped in his car seat for that trip.

 

[justme11]

I’ve wondered if the email to Mom was no “ mistake. “ Kim was his patient too...Dr delivered both her babies. Maybe after failing to reach Skylar in several tries...the “mistaken email” was sent directly to Kim.

But that got no response either....

My opinion....it wasn't a mistake. No matter how much I trust my kids, I'll be darned if I took her response as the truth. You'd be peeing on a stick in front of me.

 

[iluvmua]

I hope they make an example of her and find her guilty of all charges.

Jmo

 

[AllyBeeUK]

What will happen in the case of a hung jury? I think it's highly likely.

I think she is definitely going to get abuse of a corpse. Whatever way you look at it, she shouldn't have just buried her in the backyard. I'm not sure on the rest. If on the jury I'm quite sure I would be voting not guilty. That's not to say that I would feel good about it.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Oh no. I wish I could hug you right now. That's devastating.

Yes. That really struck me. It really stood out. No mother who cared for her child would put her naked baby in a hole. In fact, no person, for that matter, who values life in any way or felt any bit of sentiment or pity would do so. Even if that was NOT there own child. I don't believe it. She treated the baby worse than most treat their pets.

It made me realize she is a liar and how much of her display was an act.

So interesting, as a family member accidentally killed one of our family pets. Our entire family went out in the backyard and to the graveyard service. But that is what you did back in the 60s with a animal. You included your whole family even if it was an accident. For a pet. She didn't even do that.

In a capital case, most of this stuff that we saw it would be part of the mitigation stage and not the capital case is that correct? Because most of what the defense did was mitigation?

 

[fred&edna]

As I've posted before, my thoughts and opinions are influenced by personal experience. There are many are others here who strongly disagree with me. But, I am glad we have remained fairly respectful with one another.

I've watched and heard nearly every minute of this trial, and my beliefs remain the same.

I do not think this jury will find her "not guilty" on all counts. I don't think she will dance out of that courtroom. No matter the conviction, no matter the sentence. No matter the appeals (and we all know there will be) I feel certain Skylar will never, ever have her mother's honest approval, support and love. The things she needed through all of this.

I have other thoughts on the emotional and psychological aspects but... It's too draining to post them.

Thanks again to everyone who has kept us (and continues to keep us) updated on this trial!

 

[oviedo]

Interesting that as a lawyer you think that.

This is the the most difficult cases I have ever followed, including doing a 180 flip flop, as to making a decision on which charge to give her as to guilty.

I don't think this is like Pinellas County and that the jury will be vilified for years and forever if they do lesser charges.

This has been a very difficult case to follow I think, the reason being I went into it and I have now done a 180.

For me at least as a lay person it has been so emotionally upsetting, to see through the emotion to get to the facts, for you as a lawyer it may be extremely clear cut.

And I hate even thinking that she is going to get off with something that she deserves because of a Casey Anthony and Pinellas County verdict.

If you mean the CA trial - it was held in Orange County, FL not Pinellas (although in retrospect I wish it would have been over there - her jury wanted to go on holiday IMO)

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I think what makes this case so difficult is that it's not about malice. It's about fear. Fear of an 18 yo personality disordered woman with ******, dysfunctional parents. We can not overlook their role in all of this. She was still in high school, living under their care. Then you add Kim's knowledge of the pregnancy and those text exchanges. And on the other hand you have a helpless newborn, all alone in the dark of night likely suffocated to death.

Yes, that is what the difficult part is. Is that we are bringing the mitigation into the case in Chief . Which is incorrect and what is exactly what the defense is trying to do.

 

[Jewels53]

Is that a strategy by the defense attorney? That neither She, nor her parents want to be there. What strategy would that be? Did her parents don't want to be in front of the camera? That she doesn't want to be in front of the camera? This is bizarre! M o o

Maybe thinking this could be her last chance of freedom. idk

I think she has been given too much freedom in my opinion.

 

[Mariposa]

Is that a strategy by the defense attorney? That neither She, nor her parents want to be there. What strategy would that be? Did her parents don't want to be in front of the camera? That she doesn't want to be in front of the camera? This is bizarre! M o o

I don't think waiving the right to be there for jury questions is a strategy or bizarre. The defendant maybe wants to go home to wait it out and not stay in the courthouse. If there are jury questions it will hold up the process if she has to come back and forth to sit in the courtroom for the questions instead of just having her attorneys there.

 

[gitana1]

As I've posted before, my thoughts and opinions are influenced by personal experience. There are many are others here who strongly disagree with me. But, I am glad we have remained fairly respectful with one another.

I've watched and heard nearly every minute of this trial, and my beliefs remain the same.

I do not think this jury will find her "not guilty" on all counts. I don't think she will dance out of that courtroom. No matter the conviction, no matter the sentence. No matter the appeals (and we all know there will be) I feel certain Skylar will never, ever have her mother's honest approval, support and love. The things she needed through all of this.

I have other thoughts on the emotional and psychological aspects but... It's too draining to post them.

Thanks again to everyone who has kept us (and continues to keep us) updated on this trial!

She may not be found not guilty on all counts but my prediction remains she is unlikely to have more than a slap on the wrist for any charge. Probation. Something like that.

But I know what you're saying. And I think that's part of why juries don't come back with verdicts on the more serious charges or why these young women aren't sentenced harshly.

Because she does have to go home to that mother. And her mother already pretty much gave her a life sentence.

 

[Jewels53]

I don't think waiving the right to be there for jury questions is a strategy or bizarre. The defendant maybe wants to go home to wait it out and not stay in the courthouse. If there are jury questions it will hold up the process if she has to come back and forth to sit in the courtroom for the questions instead of just having her attorneys there.

Most defendants stay at the courthouse. imo

 

[zea mays]

I predict it will be quick.

I have a feeling we'll know before the end of the day or tomorrow at the VERY latest.

Oh no. I wish I could hug you right now. That's devastating.

Yes. That really struck me. It really stood out. No mother who cared for her child would put her naked baby in a hole. In fact, no person, for that matter, who values life in any way or felt any bit of sentiment or pity would do so. Even if that was NOT there own child. I don't believe it. She treated the baby worse than most treat their pets.

It made me realize she is a liar and how much of her display was an act.

The burial was the most compelling part to me. If she had snuck away from her family and purchased a little newborn outfit, or buried her in a soft towel, or something like that - then I may believe the stilllborn argument. But the callousness of the burial plus the texts in the immediate time after the birth, solidify a live birth and neglect to death at a very minimum.

Oh, then that explains that her voicemail wasn't full, that they sent it to an email versus sending it to a voicemail or to texts. Got you.

A lot of stuff hasn't been clear here in this case which I wanted to know.

( yet O/P post said that the doctor tried to leave her voicemails???)

Based on the tiny snippet of the email that we saw, it looks like an after visit summary (AVS) to me. Most likely, when the AVS was finalized in the EHR a notification was sent from the patient portal to an email address. It is very likely that that portal is set to mom's email and that mom had Skylar's log in to her patient portal. It's also possible that the EHR directly sends an after visit summary to the patient's email when the appt is finished in the EHR - it would not surprise me to find out BSR had mommy's email on file.

I'm basing it on patterns and who she is. She is effective at the little girl lost routine. She's an upper-middle class blonde with good lawyers. It's a neonaticide case which culturally society tends to excuse or mitigate or deny.

Juries like COD. I think some will feel she killed her child but the defense enabled an out.

The judge dismissed tampering and that was huge for me. I think a real loss and the jury will know that's gone. If hiding the body of a person that died because you killed the person or endangered them isn't tampering with evidence, what is?

Maybe OH needs more. Maybe that charge was connected to the supposed attempt to burn the corpse. I haven't looked.

But regardless, I'm basing my feeling in large part on trends with these cases. Even where there is COD they often go light on verdict and sentencing.

The defense experts enabled an avenue for reasonable doubt. I think some jurors will jump on that. Others will believe she probably harmed her child but will go with not guilty on the more serious charges.

I agree completely - I think she's guilty of everything. I think the evidence is very circumstantial and that's always really hard for a jury. I think she's going to get off pretty light.

 

[Boodles]

I think what makes this case so difficult is that it's not about malice. It's about fear. Fear of an 18 yo personality disordered woman with ******, dysfunctional parents. We can not overlook their role in all of this. She was still in high school, living under their care. Then you add Kim's knowledge of the pregnancy and those text exchanges. And on the other hand you have a helpless newborn, all alone in the dark of night likely suffocated to death.

I don’t necessarily think fear is the operative emotion. I think she thought Brandon would break up with her (I guess that is fear). And she wanted to go away to college and have freedom. And, of course, look hot at all times. To me, I see more selfishness.

 

[ApplebyJ]

Oh no. I wish I could hug you right now. That's devastating.

Yes. That really struck me. It really stood out. No mother who cared for her child would put her naked baby in a hole. In fact, no person, for that matter, who values life in any way or felt any bit of sentiment or pity would do so. Even if that was NOT there own child. I don't believe it. She treated the baby worse than most treat their pets.

It made me realize she is a liar and how much of her display was an act.

I still vividly remember suddenly losing my first pet, a hamster, when I was 16. I was devastated. I’d only had her a few months, but I loved that sweet girl. I wrapped her tiny body carefully in tissue paper and made her a coffin out of a shoe box I had in my room. I put her favorite toy beside her in the box before holding a funeral for her in the backyard.

Skylar putting her naked baby in the ground, without even a blanket or towel wrapped around her little body, has always struck me as extremely cold and uncaring. Even if she was in shock, even if she was traumatized (and I believe she was, as childbirth is traumatizing even when it’s wanted) it really conveys a sense of urgency and callousness to dispose of the body the way that she did. Skylar just wanted it gone, as quickly as possible, and making sure she was buried in any decent way wasn’t a priority for her. I really think the only reason she didn’t throw her baby’s body in a trash can is because she realized she had a much higher chance of being caught that way. She had the sense to get rid of the bloody towels and materials in trash that wouldn’t be traced back to her.

Personally, I also think it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that she knew a body buried that way would decompose faster, thus eliminating any further evidence.

 

[AllyBeeUK]

Yes. That's the bottom line. People understand that a young woman like this, a teen, does what she does due to a combination of immaturity and fear.

Sadly I think because the poor baby doesn't live more than seconds or minutes, it's harder for people to attach to the child, and to see such a child as a complete human being.

That only seems to change if it can be proved that the baby died a horrible death- like head bashed in.

That's very interesting and I don't doubt that you are correct but I must say, I do still think, although she seems to be a somewhat cold and disassociated young lady (understandably in many ways) that she is probably not guilty, but it's my overwhelming sense of grief and loss for the baby that is making me doubt myself, rather than anything I have heard in court.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Yes. That's the bottom line. People understand that a young woman like this, a teen, does what she does due to a combination of immaturity and fear.

Sadly I think because the poor baby doesn't live more than seconds or minutes, it's harder for people to attach to the child, and to see such a child as a complete human being.

That only seems to change if it can be proved that the baby died a horrible death- like head bashed in.

I think your comment should have been said in the closing statements. So spot-on.

But with some jurors agree with her on such?



"Sadly I think because the poor baby doesn't live more than seconds or minutes, it's harder for people to attach to the child, and to see such a child as a complete human being".

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I have a physician colleague who did not buy a single thing (no not even a diaper) for her (now much loved and then very much wanted) daughter until after she delivered a live child. Amazon Prime was great for them!

My own physician husband didn’t really believe that we would actually be bringing home a live baby until our son was strapped in his car seat for that trip.

Did your friend have a mental disorder through DSM? Did he hide it from the family? Did he hide it from everyone? Did he have a personality disorder, or do you consider that normal behavior?

Did you buy nothing other than the car seat to take the baby home and your house and did not celebrate and have shower or celebration or gifts from family or buy something?

You said he did not he will be bringing home alive baby, did he and you prepare anyway, and were you along with him and did not prepare at all and go to prenatal? Did you do nothing?