Teen mom who left baby behind pleads guilty to manslaughter
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 | 4:27 PM ET
CBC News
A teenaged girl who abandoned her newborn baby in a wooded area north of Montreal has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
She made the plea Wednesday in a provincial court in St-Jérome.
The girl was originally charged with second-degree murder and criminal negligence after the newborn boy was found dead of hypothermia in a wooded area on the outskirts of Sainte-Sophie, a small Laurentians town.
The teen gave birth last November in her parents house and left the baby in the woods before going to the hospital, where she expelled the placenta.
Police officers were sent to the hospital and the girl gave them directions to find the baby, but the baby was dead by the time he was found.
An autopsy concluded he was born alive and had strong vital signs before succumbing to the cold.
The Crown said it would have a hard time proving the teen acted with the intention of killing the baby, saying she likely panicked and wasn't fully aware of the consequences of her actions.
The teen is scheduled to return to court April 14 for sentencing.
The teen cannot be named because she's a minor.
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
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