Woman Faces Death Penalty After Giving Birth in Bathroom, Putting Infant in Tank
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Amanda C. Hein, who they allege murdered her newborn after giving birth in a public restroom in Pennsylvania. Hein has been charged with criminal homicide.
Hein, 27, reportedly gave birth in early August and wrapped the newborn boy in a plastic bag before placing him in the tank of a toilet. Workers at the Starters Pub found the body after the toilet wouldn't flush. Coroner Zachary Lysek confirmed that the newborn died of suffocation and was fully developed and viable.
"I just wish she would have even texted me and said, 'Please help me,'" Hein's mother Karen Giesen told The Morning Call. "I'm her mother and the thing that breaks my heart is she didn't come to me. She didn't ask for help. She told me she thought I hated her and I don't hate her. I love her. I don't judge her. Anything I don't agree with, I kept to myself because what was I going to do?"
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The Pennsylvania prosecutor in charge of the case will seek the death penalty, arguing that she killed a child, which is punishable by the death penalty in the state. Pennsylvania has the Safe Haven Law in place, which allows parents to leave their children in a safe place such as a hospital or firehouse without fear of prosecution.
Hein's lawyers told The Morning Call that they were "prepared" for the upcoming trial and to fight against the death penalty. However, the day after the baby's body was found, Hein admitted that the boy was born alive but couldn't explain exactly what she had done.
Giesen is scared for her daughter's life and noted that she had been struggling with mental health problems and substance abuse. She described her as "fragile, very fragile." Giesen is afraid that her daughter will not get the help she needs while in prison and will "die completely lost. That is not what God wants for her."
The trial is scheduled to begin in April 2014.
