Brooklyn Woman Indicted In Death Of Infant Son Found In Bag At Victoria's Secret
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Brooklyn woman whose newborn son was found dead inside her bag while she was stopped for suspected shoplifting at Victoria's Secret in 2013 has been indicted on a murder charge.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced Thursday the second-degree murder indictment against 18-year-old Tiona Rodriguez in the death of her son in October 2013.
"There is perhaps no victim more defenseless than a newborn child," said Vance. "The baby's body was only discovered after his mother was questioned by a store security officer who suspected her of theft. I am confident that the experienced homicide and child abuse prosecutors in my office will see that justice is served in this tragic case."
Rodriguez pleaded not guilty at her arraignment.
According to court documents, Rodriguez, then 17, delivered the 8-pound boy in the bathroom of a friend's apartment in Queens on Oct. 16.
The following day, Rodriguez was stopped by security at the Victoria's Secret store in Herald Square for possible shoplifting and discovered the infant dead inside her bag.
The city medical examiner's office ruled the baby's death was caused by homicidal asphyxiation.
At the arraignment, prosecutor Rachel Ferrari told the judge the woman was not a panicky teenager who didn't know what she was doing when she gave birth to the infant, WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported. It was her third pregnancy since the age of 14 that she hid from her family, Ferrari said.
It was "callousness," the prosecutor said, that allowed Rodriguez to plan out the day of the birth, texting a friend that she would dig a hole, put the body somewhere and then go eat at IHOP.
The prosecutor said Rodriguez may have also killed a baby she gave birth to at age 15.
A misdemeanor theft case against Rodriguez related to the Victoria's Secret stop was dismissed by a judge in December of last year.
Prosecutors conceded that time had run out to try the teen for allegedly stealing a $45 pair of pants from the store.