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Pa. woman who killed baby in bar restroom gets life in prison

EASTON, Pa. - Amanda Hein, an Allentown, Pa. woman who last month pleaded guilty to killing her newborn baby, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday, reports the Express-Times.

According to the paper, under the plea deal, the jury needed to decide if Hein intentionally killed the baby - requiring a first-degree murder conviction - or showed reckless indifference, which would be third-degree murder. The jury convicted her of first-degree murder.

Northampton County Judge Paula Roscioli formally handed down the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The Express-Times reported that Hein, 27, showed no reaction when the jury foreman announced the verdict. Her mother left the courtroom in tears, but Hein did not speak as she was escorted from the room by sheriff's deputies.

Hein pleaded guilty March 28 to murdering her baby in a women's restroom at Starters Pub in Bethlehem, Pa. last Aug. 18. She gave birth in the bathroom, wrapped the unnamed child in a plastic bag and hid him in a toilet tank. A cleaning crew found the baby's body the next morning.

The jury determined that Hein intentionally killed her child, resulting in the first-degree murder conviction. The defense argued that the mother only showed reckless indifference, which would have warranted just a third-degree conviction, according to the Express-Times.




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