Hours after killing her own newborn daughter, a Ohio teen sent her mother a text message that read “My belly is back OMG,” say prosecutors.
20-year-old Brooke Skylar Richardson is facing charges of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter, endangering a child, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse, reported Fox19.
According to a tweet from Journal News reporter Lauren Pack, Richardson, who was a high school cheerleader at the time, reportedly texted her mother hours after she buried the child, said prosecutors, saying she was “speechless” with happiness.
“I am literally speechless with how happy I am my belly is back OMG,” the text read.
“I am literally speechless with how happy I am my belly is back OMG … “a text sent by Richardson to her mother hours after she murdered her baby, according to Assst. Prosecutor Steve Knippen during openings @journalnews
— Lauren Pack (@LPackJN) September 4, 2019
The teen is accused of of killing her newborn daughter days after her senior prom in 2017 and burying her in her parents’ backyard, reported WCPO.
Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Steven Knippen said that Dr. William Andrew informed Richardson that she was pregnant in April 2017 and estimated that she would deliver the child in a matter of weeks, reported the news outlet.
“When Dr. Andrew spoke with Brooke about her pregnancy, she kept repeating that she cannot have this baby and she was adamant about telling no one that she was pregnant,” said Knippen, adding that the doctor—an OBGYN—received no subsequent contact from the teen.
According to AP, Andrew testified that Richardson also exclaimed upon learning of the pregnancy, “I can’t have a baby! I’m going to college.”
Prosecutors claim that Richardson then began searching the internet for ideas on “how to get rid of a baby.”
Knippen went on to say that Richardson then allegedly delivered the baby by herself in her home without waking up her brother and parents. She then killed and buried the child in her family’s backyard, according to WCPO.
Defense attorney Charlie Rittgers, says however, that Richardson “did not know certainly that she was pregnant” when she visited the doctor.
“She reacted in utter surprise and shock and genuinely,” he said. “She reacted like any 18-year-old who’s told for the first time that she is certainly pregnant would. If she had this sinister motive to hide and conceal the fact that she was going to kill a child, she wouldn’t have reacted like that. It can’t be both ways.”
Rittgers also mentioned that Richardson has had an eating disorder since she was 12 years old and has been in and out of treatment.
Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
