A Nebraska teen, named Antonia Lopez, who admitted to throwing her newborn baby out the window, will not be serving any jail time, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
Douglas County Juvenile Court Judge Christopher Kelly ordered Lopez to be placed on probation, during which time she may live in a group home and take part in individual and family therapy. She also has to delete her Facebook account and perform 50 hours of community service.
In September, the 16-year-old reportedly gave birth to a baby girl in her apartment, then threw the baby out the window. She then texted her boyfriend to say, “It was a girl by the way,” and admitted her crime to her mother.
She told police that she was not aware that she was pregnant and thought she was just having her period.
An autopsy revealed that the infant, who later died, was still breathing at the time the blunt-force injuries were sustained. Lopez had been pregnant for 25 to 28 weeks according to the report.
“She’s coping the best she can,” Lopez’s defense attorney Rebecca McClung said. She alleges that her client thought the child was stillborn. “The mother is coping the best she can. The grandmother is coping the best she can.”
Lopez was first charged as an adult with felony child abuse resulting in death, which could have meant 20 years in prison. However early this year, her case was transferred to juvenile court after her mental state and lack of criminal record were considered.
She was ordered to live in a group home because judges were concerned that she did not understand the severity of her actions.
Following the receipt of numerous negative comments on her Facebook page after her arrest, the Facebook deletion order was effected.