Current:Home > StocksJury reaches split verdict in baby abandonment case involving Dennis Eckersley’s daughter -Wealth Momentum Network
Jury reaches split verdict in baby abandonment case involving Dennis Eckersley’s daughter
View
Date:2025-04-18 03:07:15
A jury reached a split verdict on Friday in a case involving a mother charged with abandoning a newborn child in the woods in subfreezing temperatures.
Jurors found 27-year-old Alexandra Eckersley, daughter of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, guilty of reckless conduct, endangering the welfare of a child and falsifying physical evidence, but not guilty of two assault charges.
Eckersley visibly exhaled and held her defense counsel’s hand as the not guilty verdicts were read.
She had testified during her trial last month that she didn’t know she was pregnant and thought the child had died after she gave birth on Christmas night in 2022. A psychologist testified that Eckersley was suffering from substance use disorder and mental health and developmental issues, and that she wasn’t receiving treatment.
Eckersley was homeless at the time and gave birth in a tent in Manchester, New Hampshire. Prosecutors said her son, who survived, was left alone for more than an hour, suffering from respiratory distress and hypothermia as temperatures dipped to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 9.4 degrees Celsius).
Her jury trial started July 25 in Manchester. Jurors got the case Wednesday.
Eckersley testified that a man who was with her said the baby did not have a pulse. The couple had no cellphone service to call for help and started walking toward an ice arena. On their way, Alexandra Eckersley experienced afterbirth, but thought she had a second child. She told a 911 dispatcher that she had given birth to two children, one who died immediately and the other who lived for less than a minute.
She told the dispatcher and police where she lived and pointed to the area, which was across a bridge. But police ignored what she told them, her lawyers said. She also was afraid to return to the tent because the man, who had left when police arrived, told her he didn’t want anyone else there, they argued.
The man arrested along with Alexandra Eckersley was sentenced last August to a year in jail after pleading guilty to a child endangerment charge.
Prosecutors said Eckersley intentionally led first responders to a different location, because she did not want to get into trouble.
She eventually led police to the tent. The baby was found cold, blue, covered in blood — but alive, prosecutors said.
“It made me happy” to find out the baby was alive, Eckersley testified Wednesday.
Eckersley has been living full time with her son and mother in Massachusetts since earlier this year. The Eckersley family released a statement shortly after she was arrested, saying they had no prior knowledge of her pregnancy and were in complete shock. The family said she has suffered from “severe mental illness her entire life” and that they did their very best to get her help and support.
Dennis Eckersley, who attended the trial this week, was drafted by Cleveland out of high school in 1972 and went on to pitch 24 seasons for Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis. He won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1992 while playing for the Oakland Athletics. After his playing days, Eckersley broadcasted Boston Red Sox games, retiring in 2022.
veryGood! (15484)
Related
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Cross-State Air Pollution Causes Significant Premature Deaths in the U.S.
- Clean Energy Loses Out in Congress’s Last-Minute Budget Deal
- Buying an electric car? You can get a $7,500 tax credit, but it won't be easy
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- As Coal Declined, This Valley Turned to Sustainable Farming. Now Fracking Threatens Its Future.
- Southern Cities’ Renewable Energy Push Could Be Stifled as Utility Locks Them Into Longer Contracts
- Big Oil Took a Big Hit from the Coronavirus, Earnings Reports Show
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- A Lawsuit Challenges the Tennessee Valley Authority’s New Program of ‘Never-Ending’ Contracts
Ranking
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- New York Times to pull the plug on its sports desk and rely on The Athletic
- Electric Vehicles for Uber and Lyft? Los Angeles Might Require It, Mayor Says.
- Damar Hamlin's 'Did We Win?' shirts to raise money for first responders and hospital
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Delaware U.S. attorney says Justice Dept. officials gave him broad authority in Hunter Biden probe, contradicting whistleblower testimony
- Modest Swimwear Picks for the Family Vacay That You'll Actually Want to Wear
- Be on the lookout for earthworms on steroids that jump a foot in the air and shed their tails
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
How Tom Holland Really Feels About His Iconic Umbrella Performance 6 Years Later
Long Island Medium Star Theresa Caputo’s Son Larry Caputo Jr. Marries Leah Munch in Italy
Long Island Medium Star Theresa Caputo’s Son Larry Caputo Jr. Marries Leah Munch in Italy
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Man thought killed during Philadelphia mass shooting was actually slain two days earlier, authorities say
Orlando Aims High With Emissions Cuts, Despite Uncertain Path
Camp Pendleton Marine raped girl, 14, in barracks, her family claims