Brooke Skylar Richardson walks free on probation in daughter’s death
https://nypost.com/2019/09/13/brooke-skylar-richardson-walks-free-on-probation-in-daughters-death/The former Ohio high school cheerleader accused of killing and burying her newborn girl days after prom apologized to the baby’s father and walked free on Friday, according to reports.
Brooke Skylar Richardson, 20, of Carlisle, will serve three years of probation after being found guilty Thursday of gross abuse of a corpse — but acquitted of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment charges.
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Judge Donald Oda sentenced Richardson to seven days in county jail, but she was credited for time served. If she violates her probation, she can be locked up for up to a year in jail.
Addressing the courtroom Friday before being sentenced, Richardson made a groveling apology, saying, “I am sorry. I can sometimes be selfish, but I’m getting better. I’m forever sorry,” according to People.
“I’ve hurt a lot of people. I am really, really sorry. And I understand,” she added.
Richardson’s father, Scott Richardson, also addressed the court and asked for his daughter to be released.
“My daughter is suffering from an eating disorder and we are concerned about her health,” he said.
Oda slammed Richardson while making his decision.
“I believe if you had made different decisions, Annabelle would still be here,” the judge said. “I think that your choices before birth, during birth and after birth show a grotesque disregard for life.”
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Buried Newborn
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Brooke Skylar Richardson is escorted out of the courtroom following her sentencing hearing.
AP
The mother of Richardson’s former boyfriend Trey Johnson — the baby’s dad — read an emotional statement in court.
“Not only did I lose my first grandchild, but my baby boy lost his daughter,” the mother said. “For a baby that she called ‘it,’ we’re just as much the family as she is.
“I’ve watched my son become a different person,” she continued. “I won’t disclose his medical diagnosis because she’s done enough to him. I can personally tell you that I’ve personally been seen for depression, panic attacks, and I’m a shell of the person I was.”
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Trey’s mother added: “I would have taken her in with Trey without a question. Now, instead, every May 7, I don’t get to have a birthday party for my first grandchild. Instead, I send her balloons to heaven, to tell her how much her daddy loved her, and how much I loved her.”
Prosecutors alleged that Richardson had no intention of keeping the child when she secretly went into labor in the middle of the night. She was accused of killing the full-term baby, then burying the newborn in her parents’ backyard.
Richardson’s legal team, however, denied that she killed the baby, claiming that the child was stillborn.
Her lawyers said the 20-year-old’s health has deteriorated throughout the trial — and that she is down to 89 pounds and losing her hair, according to WLWT.
“She was living under this dark cloud for the past two years. Living a — quite frankly — a nightmare and hopefully now that this is behind her, hopefully she will get help,” said Charles H. Rittgers, the elder of the young woman’s father-and-son legal team.
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