A former cheerleader from an Ohio high school who buried her newborn daughter in the garden of her family home was sentenced to three years of probation as a result of a long battle in the courts.
Brooke Skylar Richardson, now 20, was sentenced on Friday on a charge of corpse after her acquittal on Thursday for aggravated murder, manslaughter and endangering a child, reports WISN. She was also sentenced to a seven-day prison sentence, but was credited for the time that she has already spent.
When convicted, Richardson told the court that she was "really, really sorry" and that she thought she "had improved knowing that I had upset everyone and hurt a lot of people with what I had done ".
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Brooke Skylar Richardson on trial
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Brooke "Skylar" Richardson stands during a break in her lawsuit in Warren County Court Monday, September 9, 2019. The 20-year-old woman is accused of killing and burying her baby in the yard of her home to Carlisle. Richardson is charged with aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his newborn. She faces the possibility of life in prison. (Photo by Nick Graham / Pool / Mansfield News Journal via Imagn's Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson is standing during a break at the Warren County Courthouse during his trial on Monday, September 9, 2019. The 20-year-old woman is accused of killing and burying her baby in the yard from his home in Carlisle. Richardson is charged with aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his newborn. She faces the possibility of life in prison. (Photo by Nick Graham / Pool / Mansfield News Journal via Imagn's Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson meets with his attorney, Charles M. Rittgers, at his trial in the Warren County Common Court on Monday, September 9, 2019. The 20-year-old is accused of killing and burying her baby in the yard of her home in Carlisle. Richardson is charged with aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his newborn. She faces the possibility of life in prison. (Photo by Nick Graham / Pool / Mansfield News Journal via Imagn's Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Tracy Johnson, the baby's maternal grandmother and the mother of baby's father, Trey Johnson, cries after making a statement at Brooke Skylar Richardson's sentencing hearing on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, in Lebanon, Ohio. Richardson, acquitted the day before the murder of her newborn but convicted of corpse violence, was sentenced to three years probation and three years probation. (Kareem Elgazzar / The Cincinnati Investigator via AP, Pool)
Kim Richardson, in the center, leaves the courtroom after her daughter Brooke Skylar Richardson was sentenced on Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, in Lebanon, Ohio. Richardson, acquitted the day before the murder of her newborn but convicted of corpse violence, was sentenced to three years probation and three years probation. (Kareem Elgazzar / The Cincinnati Investigator via AP, Pool)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson enters the courthouse with her mother, Kim Richardson, in anticipation of the Friday, September 6, 2019 hearing in the Warren County courtroom, in the hall. Judge Donald Oda II hearing before Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, Ohio. Brooke Skylar Richardson (Photo by Albert Cesare / The Inquire, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson enters the courthouse with her mother, Kim Richardson, in anticipation of the Friday, September 6, 2019 hearing in the Warren County courtroom, in the hall. Judge Donald Oda II hearing before Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, Ohio. Brooke Skylar Richardson (Photo by Albert Cesare / The Inquire, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson enters the courthouse with his parents, Kim and Scott Richardson, in anticipation of the Friday, September 6, 2019 hearing in the Warren County hearing room, in the hall of Judge Donald Oda II hearing in the Warren County Court, Lebanon, Ohio. Brooke Skylar Richardson (Photo by Albert Cesare / The Inquire, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson leaves the courtroom during a suspension hearing on Friday, September 6, 2019 at the Warren Common Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, Ohio. Richardson is on trial for the death of his newborn daughter, who was buried in her family's garden in Ohio. (Albert Cesare / Cincinnati Enquirer via AP, Pool)
A video interview with detectives from the Warren County Sheriff's Office is presented at Brooke's "Skylar" Richardson trial in the Warren County County Court on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. The 20-year-old is charged with murder. to have killed and buried his baby yard of his house Carlisle. Richardson is charged with aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his newborn. She faces the possibility of life in prison. (Photo by Nick Graham / Pool / Mansfield News Journal via Imagn's Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson leaves the courtroom at the end of the day's proceedings, on Thursday, September 5, 2019, in the courtroom of Judge Donald Oda II of the Warren County Courthouse at Warren Common Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, Ohio. Richardson, 20, is accused of killing and burying his baby in the yard of his home in Carlisle. Richardson is charged with aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his newborn. She faces the possibility of life in prison. Skylar Richardson's trial on September 5 (Photo by Kareem Elgazzar / The Inquire, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke's Skylar & # 39; Richardson, 20, enters the Warren County Court House, Lebanon, Ohio, Tuesday, September 3, 2019. Richardson, of Carlisle, is charged with aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter , flagrant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his newborn. She faces the possibility of life in prison. She was 18 years old at that time. His lawyers are Charlie H. Rittgers and his son, Charlie M. Rittgers. The judge is Donald Oda II. The Skylar Richardson Trial Begins in Infant Death (Photo by Liz Dufour / The Investigate, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson enters the Warren County Courthouse on Tuesday, September 3, 2019. She is accused of killing and burying her baby in the yard of her home in Carlisle. Richardson is charged with aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his newborn. She faces the possibility of life in prison. Sept2 Richardson1 (Photo by Cara Owsley / The Inquire, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke Skylar Richardson, right, arrives with his father, Scott Richardson, for jury selection at his trial in front of the Warren County Courthouse on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, in Lebanon, in the ### 39; Ohio. Richardson, 20, accused of killing and burying her newborn daughter in her family's garden, in the village of Carlisle, in southwest Ohio, is charged with aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of a child. newborn She faces the possibility of life in prison. (Cara Owsley / The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP, Pool)
The family members of Brooke's Skylar & # 39; Richardson, 20, is going to the Warren County, Lebanon, Ohio, courthouse on Tuesday, Sept. 3, for the first day of jury selection in the case against Brooke & # 39. ; Skylar & # 39; Richardson, 20, of Richardson, on Carlisle is accused of aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his new born. She faces the possibility of life in prison. She was 18 years old at that time. Skylar Richardson's lawsuit begins in the death of a baby (Photo by Liz Dufour, Liz Dufour / The Inquirer, Cincinnati Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC / USA Today Network / Sipa USA)
Brooke Sylar Richardson appears during a break during the legal proceedings on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, at the Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, Ohio. Richardson is accused of killing and burying his newborn daughter in the yard of his home. (Kareem Elgazzar / The Cincinnati Investigator via AP, Pool)
Brooke Sylar Richardson appears during a break during the legal proceedings on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, at the Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, Ohio. Richardson is accused of killing and burying his newborn daughter in the yard of his home. (Kareem Elgazzar / The Cincinnati Investigator via AP, Pool)
Brooke Sylar Richardson talks with her father, Scott, during a break on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, at the Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, Ohio. Richardson is accused of killing and burying his newborn daughter in the yard of his home. (Kareem Elgazzar / The Cincinnati Investigator via AP, Pool)
Brooke "Skylar" Richardson stands during a break in her lawsuit in Warren County Court on Tuesday, September 10, 2019. The 20-year-old woman is accused of killing and burying her baby in the yard of her home in Carlisle. Richardson has been charged with aggravated murder, manslaughter, blatant abuse of a corpse, falsification of evidence and endangering the death of his newborn. (Nick Graham / The Journal-News via AP, Pool)
Judge Donald Oda II oversees the courtroom during Brooke Skylar Richardson's trial in the Warren County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday, September 10, 2019, in Lebanon, Ohio. Richardson is accused of killing and burying his newborn daughter in the yard of his home. (Nick Graham / The Journal-News via AP, Pool)
In this archival photo of Friday, July 21, 2017, Brooke Skylar Richardson appears for the first time in Franklin City Court, Franklin, Ohio. A prosecutor said that Skylar, whose remains of the newborn were buried outside his home in southwest Ohio, was charged with aggravated murder and other offenses. Warren County Attorney David Fornshell said a grand jury on Friday Brooke Skylar Richardson charged with manslaughter, endangering a child, falsifying evidence and dismissing Blatant abuse of a corpse in the May death. (FOX19 NOW / Michael Buckingham via AP, File)
This undated photo provided by Warren County Jail shows Brooke Skylar Richardson. Richardson, whose remains of the newborn were buried outside his home, southwest Ohio, pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges, Monday 7 August 2017. (Warren County Jail via AP)
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Richardson was 18 when she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl at her home in Carlisle, Ohio, in May 2017, a few days after her prom. The girl's remains were found near her family's barbecue pit about two months later, according to Fox News.
During these two years of trial, prosecutors alleged that Richardson deliberately killed his newborn and got rid of his body because she did not want to "ruin her perfect life", which included the beginning courses at the University of Cincinnati in the fall of 2017.
The defense, however, argued that Richardson's baby, whom she apparently called Annabelle, was stillborn and that the troubled teenager had buried her by sadness and fear of repercussions.
Although a medical examiner said the baby had died as a result of "homicide violence," Warren County attorney David Fornshell said Thursday after Richardson's acquittal that the decay had prevented determine the actual death of the child.
Judge Donald Oda II on Friday criticized Richardson's "grotesque contempt for life" as he uttered his lenient sentence, adding, "I know in my heart that if you had made different decisions in this case, Annabelle would here today. "
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