A California mother who tried to drown her newborn immediately after birth in a toilet at a McDonald’s restaurant restroom will not face any prison time.
On Friday San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Garratt placed Lockner under four years of supervised probation and also ordered her to complete her parenting classes.
Lockner was originally charged with attempted murder but she didn’t object to pleading guilty to the lesser charge of felony child endangerment in a plea deal on Jan. 14.
What Happened Inside the Bathroom?
On that day Lockner went to the restroom many times complaining of a stomachache. During one trip a colleague noticed blood on the floor and Lockner described it as a heavy period.Another colleague went to check on her the second time and looked over the toilet enclosure and saw Lockner holding a newborn with his head down in the toilet. The colleague told investigators she heard her flushing the toilet as she stepped down.
The mother told her colleagues not to call the police but they did anyway and on arrival, the officers found the baby not breathing and without a pulse.
The baby was rushed to a hospital and placed under a medically induced coma and has recovered.
A Similar Case of a Father Trying to Drown Baby
In a similar case, a Missouri father tried to drown his baby daughter but she miraculously survived.He was arrested after walking to a police station and confessing that he watched his daughter sink in a pond after allegedly trying to drown her.
Officials said they discovered the child on her back and they thought she was a “porcelain doll.”
“There was no emotion whatsoever,” Greenwood police spokesman Aaron Fordham said of Zicarelli’s demeanor.
That’s when Police Chief Greg Hallgrimson and Cpl. Tom Calhoun rushed to the pond “in a reactionary state,” said Fordham to the Star.
Calhoun waded into thigh-deep water in his police uniform, vest, and boots to get the child.
He said the child’s skin had a lifeless color and she had mud in her eyes along with grass and water in her mouth. Police had estimated the girl was in the water for 10 minutes or longer.
“There was absolutely someone watching over that child today,” he said.
Calhoun and Hallgrimson removed the child’s wet clothing and wrapped her in the chief’s shirt to keep the baby warm. Then, first responders arrived to rush her to a hospital.
Later, hospital officials said the girl was in good condition and was stable with her condition improving, the Star reported. “The news came down through the chain and there was a huge sigh of relief,” Fordham said.
Zicarelli was charged with first-degree domestic assault, the Star reported. It’s not clear if he will face more serious charges.
Zicarelli allegedly told investigators he wanted to kill his daughter for the past day due to “bad thoughts,” saying he was stressed during the holidays and wanted to make things easier for his wife.
The man said he went to the water three times to make sure it was possible to sink the child beneath the surface. Then he went to the police department to confess.
