An Athens woman offering a life sentence for killing her newborn son as soon as possible after giving birth 4 years ago is spine at the regional jail as she awaits a listening to on the subject of her movement for a brand-new trial.
In Could 2014, a Clarke County Superior Court jury discovered 25-year-old Cassandra Elyse Norwood guilty of murder for the stabbing death of the kid posthumously named Josiah Lucas Norwood by his surviving family.
During the weeklong trial, witnesses testified regarding exactly how Norwood hid her pregnancy, along with prosecutors arguing her killing the child in 2012 was premeditated murder nine months in the making.
Western Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney David Lock told jurors prior to giving birth in a bedroom of her parents’ house on the subject of Wonderful Oak Drive, Norwood showed preparing by obtaining a butcher knife from the kitchen area along along with a trash bag, which Lock called Josiah Norwood’s “casket.”
“Her selection to willfully and wantonly kill her newborn child this way deserves no much less compared to life devoid of parole,” the prosecutor said.
But prior to passing sentence, Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard heard testimony from Norwood’s parents, her sisters and a number of supporters that said the killing was from character for somebody they described as being compassionate and devoid of violent tendencies.
Norwood was convicted of malice murder, and Haggard sentenced her to a life sentence. She will certainly eligible parole when she has actually offered 30 years in prison.
The death of Josiah Norwood culminated just what authorities said was a pregnancy Norwood stored hidden throughout its duration.
Norwood’s father when took her to be examined by a gynecologist, that later told police the pregnancy was confirmed. however at the time, authorities said Norwood signed a kind requesting write-up related to her exam continue to be confidential, also from family members.
Sometime after the pregnancy exam, a woman purporting to be Norwood’s mother called the doctor’s office to inform them their solutions were no much longer required because the family planned to relocate from state, authorities said.
After killing the infant, authorities said Norwood cleaned up the blood and placed the child along with bloody towels in a trash bag.
When Norwood’s family members noticed blood on the subject of the floor, the woman explained it was from an unusually massive menstrual cycle, said authorities. Norwood’s parents were concerned regarding the quantity of blood they found, so they took her to the hospital.
After her parents left for the hospital, authorities said among Norwood’s sisters discovered the lifeless newborn and called 911. The parents were at the hospital along with Norwood As soon as police informed them there was a dead child in their home.
Despite Norwood’s defense that the death was accidental, caused As soon as she tried cutting the umbilical cord, a medical examiner motivated a lot of the 19 wounds the newborn experienced might have actually been fatal.
Almost as soon as possible upon being convicted and sentenced in Could 2014, Norwood filed a movement for a brand-new trial. on the subject of Monday, she was transferred from Pulaski say Prison to the Clark County Jail to await a listening to on the subject of the movement scheduled for Thursday.
Follow Criminal Justice reporter Joe Johnson at http://ift.tt/1aN0CME or http://www.twitter.com/JoeJohnsonABH.
