Mom sentenced to at least 10 years in death of newborn found in college dorm
RAVENNA, Ohio (AP) — A woman has been sentenced in the death of a newborn whose body was found inside a trash bag at a college dormitory outside Cleveland.
Breyona Reddick, 21, of Cleveland, was sentenced Tuesday to a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of 15 years, based on good behavior. She pleaded guilty in April to involuntary manslaughter as part of a deal with Portage County prosecutors, who dismissed several other counts including aggravated murder, child endangerment and tampering with evidence,
The newborn's body was found in October 2019 inside a trash bag that had been left in a dormitory restroom at Hiram College, a small liberal arts school. The Portage County coroner has said the child was a boy and was born full-term, but prosecutors said defense lawyers were expected to argue at trial that the child was stillborn.
Speaking at her sentencing, Reddick expressed remorse for her actions, saying it was a "lapse in judgement."
Hiram College officials have said Reddick had been a student at the school but was not enrolled when her baby was found.
Hiram is roughly 42 miles (68 kilometers) southeast of downtown Cleveland.