N.B. woman knew what she was doing while disposing of newborn: psychiatrist
Last Updated: Friday, December 14, 2007 | 4:33 PM AT
CBC News
A New Brunswick woman who put the body of her newborn son into a fire pit was not suffering from a mental disorder at the time, a psychiatrist told her sentencing hearing on Friday.
Dr. Mubeen Jahangir told the court that Becky Sue Morrow knew she was pregnant and knew what she did was wrong when she gave birth and then implemented a plan to dispose of the infant.
Morrow, 27, pleaded guilty in June to offering an indignity to a newborn and disposing of a dead body with the intent of concealing her delivery.
Jahangir assessed Morrow for 60 days.
As a Crown witness, Jahangir is countering testimony previously presented by defence witness Dr. Patricia Adele Pearce who said Morrow was in a dissociated state at the time of the incident.
Pearce had told the court that Morrow was in denial about her pregnancy and going into labour while on her bathroom toilet triggered the psychological state.
After the birth, Morrow put the baby boy in a box in her bedroom and later burned that box in a fire pit.
It has never been determined if the baby was alive when it was placed in the fire, however the body was mutilated and some of the remains were placed under a shed.
According to statements that Morrow gave police, the infant died of natural causes either before, during or directly after birth before 3 a.m. on March 12, in the bathroom of the Old Ridge home she shared with a female roommate.
Morrow also told police she attempted to incinerate the body in her backyard before going to work, according to statements previously presented to the court.
When asked by police if she believed no one would find out about her pregnancy, she said, "Yes."
It was Morrow's second pregnancy. She had also tried to conceal the previous pregnancy before she gave birth to a child in 2005 who is no longer in her custody.
Morrow told police she was embarrassed about becoming pregnant a second time.
The newborn's body was discovered by Morrow's roommate and some guests who inspected the backyard because they were suspicious of her behaviour and sudden weight loss.
Morrow was surrounded by family in the St. Stephen court on Friday and cried during Jahangir's testimony.
Defence lawyer Brian Ferguson has argued that Morrow should not be held criminally responsible for the crimes.
The hearing has adjourned until Jan. 11 when the court will hear the lawyers' closing arguments.
Share Tools
Latest New Brunswick News Headlines
- Budworm outbreak poses $1B threat to N.B. forests
- Forest scientists are warning a bug that first troubled New Brunswick forests 40 years ago is on the brink of another outbreak. more »
- New potato targets diabetics, dieters
- Potato breeders in New Brunswick are creating a tuber to help diabetics and dieters. more »
- Pension trustee takes stand in defamation suit
- A high-profile lawsuit against a former Saint John city councillor over allegedly defamatory comments he made about the city's pension board continued Wednesday with a former long-time city financial officer and board member on the stand. more »
- Half of Canadians report being bullied as youth
- Half of Canadian adults polled say they were bullied as children or teenagers — and 62 per cent of those bullied say having an adult mentor would have helped them cope. more »
Top News Headlines
- Tories move to curb 'bogus' refugees
- The Conservative government is poised to change the refugee system yet again in an attempt to deter what it considers "bogus" claimants, CBC News has learned. more »
- Children of immigrants challenged at school, home
- By 2016, foreign-born youth and Canadian-born youth from immigrant families will make up a quarter of the country's population, according to predictions by the Canadian Council on Social Development. As their numbers grow, more attention is being paid to their successes and failures. more »
- 2 NDP MPs back final Commons vote to kill gun registry
- Two NDP MPs broke party ranks to vote with the government in the final House of Commons vote on scrapping the long-gun registry. more »
- B.C. house party trial hears from tearful teens
- Two teenagers cried as they testified at the trial of a B.C. woman who was charged after a teen died while her son was hosting a party at her house in 2008. more »
- Bodyguard hired for bully victim in Fredericton
- Police tight-lipped on suspicious hospital death
- Fredericton Police warn of bank scam
- Special needs cats hold Valentine's Day Skype date
- Police ID body found on Kingston Peninsula
- Saint John mulls cutting pension guarantees
- Parking shortage at Moncton Hospital
- CUPE questions Horizon's use of parking funds
- SWN may get frosty reception, says mayor

