Young Woman Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter In Newborn's Death
MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) - A young woman has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after her newborn daughter was found partially buried outside an apartment complex in western Michigan.
The Muskegon Chronicle reports Jessica Brewster entered the plea Friday in an agreement with prosecutors. Sentencing is June 16 in Muskegon County Circuit Court.
The 18-year-old from Muskegon had faced an open murder charge, meaning a jury could have chosen between first- and second-degree murder verdicts.
Police say Brewster admitted to smothering the baby because she feared her mother's reaction to the pregnancy. Brewster was 17 at the time and a straight-A student at Muskegon High School with no criminal record.
The baby was born in a bathroom in October.
A janitor at an apartment complex where Brewster's grandmother lives found the body in November.
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