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A young woman from Ohio accused of killing her newborn daughter and having her buried in the backyard of her family's home was found not guilty of murder.
Brooke Skylar Richardson, now 20, was acquitted on Thursday of aggravated murder and involuntary manslaughter for the death of her baby in May 2017, according to NBC affiliate WCMH in Columbus .
However, she was found guilty of mistreating a dead body and should be sentenced on Friday.
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The defense team argued that Richardson, who was a high school cheerleader at the time, was frightened by the fact that the baby she had called Annabelle was stillborn, according to NBC affiliate WLWT in Cincinnati.
Prosecutors alleged that Richardson had killed his baby, and then buried the body in the garden of the family home in Carlisle, a village located about 40 km north of Cincinnati, a few days after his graduation party because she did not want to ruin his perfect life. WCMH reported.
Deputy Attorney Steven Knippen told the court that a few days after the baby's death, Richardson had sent two text messages boasting about his appearance.
"Shortly after murdering her daughter and putting her in the ground, without even having the decency of covering her with a blanket, she sent two exalted text messages: my belly is back, my belly is back, "said Knippen, according to WCMH.
The remains of the baby were found only two months after birth.
Warren County Attorney David Fornshell said at a press conference Thursday after the verdict that it was unclear how the baby had been killed because of the decomposition.
"Brooke Richardson created the situation that prevented us from conducting an autopsy of this little girl," he said, telling reporters that he was "absolutely convinced that she had caused the death of his child ".
According to WLWT, Richardson faces up to one year in prison for abusing a conviction, but since she is a first offender, she could get a probation.
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