Skylar Richardson: Ohio: (8): Major Development: (False confession case): WCPO Cincinnati reports (Reporters Abby Anstead and Evan Millward) that the Jury has found her not guilty in the 2017 death of her newborn daughter..."The jury found Richardson not guilty of aggravated murder, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, not guilty of child endangerment and guilty of abuse of a corpse. The jury, comprised of seven women and five men, reached a verdict in less than five hours on Thursday. The jury had been deliberating since 11:11 a.m. after two hours of closing arguments, two days of defense testimony and four days or prosecution testimony. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said there’s a “presumption against incarceration” for Felony 4 and Felony 5 charges. Richardson was charged with Abuse of a Corpse as an F-5. Deters said Richardson likely won’t see jail time and will probably go into some sort of community control program."

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: A case which promises to be of great interest to the readers of this Blog: "From the beginning, Richardson has insisted the baby was stillborn. But even as a coroner has been unable to determine a cause of death, prosecutors insist the cause was homicide, and that Richardson, now 20, buried the evidence so she could continue on with a picture-perfect teenage lifestyle. The case exploded, becoming a tabloid-fare narrative about an all-American cheerleader accused of secretly killing her own child because she and her family were “pretty obsessed” with external appearances, as Warren County Prosecutor David P. Fornshell said in 2017. He claimed Richardson burned the baby’s corpse too — sinister details that later turned out to be incorrect, Richardson’s attorney said, but that nevertheless only fueled nonstop coverage. Photographers camped outside the family’s home in small-town Carlisle, waiting to share the latest snippets of the family’s lives. Antiabortion activists picketed Richardson’s hearings, demanding justice for Baby Jane Doe. But Richardson didn’t kill the baby, her attorney, Charles M. Rittgers, insisted to prospective jurors Tuesday during jury selection. Instead, he said, “This case was about a massive rush to judgment."

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog:

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 PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This Blog is interested in false confessions because of the disturbing number of exonerations in the USA, Canada and multiple other jurisdictions throughout the world, where, in the absence of incriminating forensic evidence the conviction is based on self-incrimination  (as well as false identification and jailhouse informants) – and because of the growing body of  scientific research showing how vulnerable suspects (especially juveniles)  are to widely used interrogation methods  such as  the notorious ‘Reid Technique.""

 

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY:  "Prosecutor David Fornshell said he believes Richardson had a fair trial and that "advocacy on both sides was very well done." The prosecution alleged Richardson never intended to keep her daughter, so she killed her and buried her on the outskirts of her family’s Carlisle home. The defense said the baby was stillborn; defense attorney focused on Richardson’s health history and argued her panicked, furtive reactions to learning of her pregnancy were not necessarily signs of malice — just terror."

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STORY: "Brooke Skylar Richardson not guilty in 2017 death of newborn daughter," by reporters Abby Anstead and Evan Millward) published by WCPO Cincinnati on September 12, 2019.

GIST: "Brooke Skylar Richardson cried as the jury handed down a not guilty verdict in the 2017 death of her newborn daughter. The jury found Richardson not guilty of aggravated murder, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, not guilty of child endangerment and guilty of abuse of a corpse. The jury, comprised of seven women and five men, reached a verdict in less than five hours on Thursday. The jury had been deliberating since 11:11 a.m. after two hours of closing arguments, two days of defense testimony and four days or prosecution testimony. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said there’s a “presumption against incarceration” for Felony 4 and Felony 5 charges. Richardson was charged with Abuse of a Corpse as an F-5. Deters said Richardson likely won’t see jail time and will probably go into some sort of community control program. Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said he believes Richardson had a fair trial and that "advocacy on both sides was very well done." The prosecution alleged Richardson never intended to keep her daughter, so she killed her and buried her on the outskirts of her family’s Carlisle home. The defense said the baby was stillborn; defense attorney focused on Richardson’s health history and argued her panicked, furtive reactions to learning of her pregnancy were not necessarily signs of malice — just terror. Dr. William Andrew at Hilltop Obstetrics and Gynecology determined Richardson was about 32 weeks pregnant on April 26, 2017. Richardson didn’t tell anyone about the pregnancy, not even her parents or the father of the child. She gave birth alone in her family’s home in the middle of the night on May 7, 2017, just two days after she attended her senior prom. She then buried the baby near the treeline in the backyard. Richardson went back to Hilltop Obstetrics and Gynecology on July 12, 2017 to obtain birth control and told Dr. Casey Boyce she “had it alone” in her house and “buried it” in the backyard. Doctors contacted authorities, and investigators went to Richardson’s home on July 14, 2017. Richardson’s father, Scott Richardson, drove her to the Carlisle police station, where she detailed what happened for the first time in a two-hour interview. A tearful Richardson told authorities in the interview that she “didn’t really want to have” her baby but she “never meant to hurt her.” The baby wasn’t alive, she said. The newborn didn’t have a heartbeat, and she didn’t make any noises. Her eyes were closed, and Richardson said she can't remember if she saw an umbilical cord.
The same day, investigators found the baby’s remains in a shallow grave in the backyard of the Richardson family home."

The entire story can be read at:
https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/warren-county/lebanon/jury-reaches-verdict-in-brooke-skylar-richardson-murder-trial
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;