A South Carolina woman who admitted to leaving her newborn baby in a dumpster has been found guilty of attempted murder.
Shelby Taylor said she hid her pregnancy from everyone including her husband.
Taylor had a 1-year-old child at the time. Taylor was 23 years old in 2015.
Defense attorney Dean Mureddu said that Taylor’s actions represented a delusional mindset.
“It’s denial, it’s delusional, it’s child-like reasoning: if I ignore it, it will go away,” he said.
Taylor denied for many months that she was pregnant before admitting the baby was hers. Taking the stand recently, she admitted she lied both initially and in court and said she didn’t tell her husband she was pregnant because he used to abuse her.
Prosecutor Scott Hixson emphasized in his closing argument that Taylor did intentionally deceive everyone and intended to kill her baby.
“That’s not a mental disease or defect, that’s infanticide,” he told the jury. “We don’t put babies in a trash bag and tie a knot around it.”
The sentencing date is set for Feb. 15.
“People love her and that’s obvious,” McCollum said. “This is a devastating event for them. It was devastating when they found out this occurred. It’s been very difficult and I feel for them. At the same time, I understand the public’s position and how they are outraged over this. I get that, but her family has suffered as well.”
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