An 18-year-old mother in Alabama is facing a capital murder charge after allegedly throwing her newborn baby boy into a trash compactor. The baby was found dead in a load of trash at an area landfill. The mother, Jakayla Williams, did not inform her friends or family about the incident after giving birth at home on August 13.
Williams initially told her family that she had taken the baby to a hospital, but when they called the hospital out of concern, staff had no record of her or the baby. Williams eventually admitted to police that she did not want to be a mother because it was too expensive and decided to dispose of her baby in a dumpster at an apartment building. The baby’s body was found wrapped in a mattress protector inside a duffel bag.
The police chief expressed shock and horror at the incident, calling it one of the most horrific things he has encountered in his years of law enforcement. It was noted that Alabama has a Safe Haven law, allowing infants up to 45 days old to be safely and anonymously surrendered at designated locations. Williams could have brought her baby to a hospital under the Safe Haven law, with no questions asked.
Williams is currently held without bail at the Dothan City Jail. Prosecutors have not yet determined if they will seek the death penalty in this case.
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