OMAHA, Neb. — Antonia Lopez, a Nebraska teen who admitted to throwing her newborn baby out the window, won't be serving any jail time, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
On Friday, Douglas County Juvenile Court Judge Christopher Kelly ordered Lopez to be placed on probation, live in a group home, take part in individual and family therapy, delete her Facebook account and perform 50 hours of community service, according to the World-Herald.
In September, Lopez, 16, reportedly gave birth to a baby girl in her apartment, then threw the baby out the window. She then texted her boyfriend, "It was a girl by the way," and admitted her crime to her mother, the World-Herald reported. She told police that she was unaware that she was pregnant and thought she was just having her period.
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An autopsy revealed that the infant, who later died, was still breathing at the time the blunt-force injuries were sustained. It also showed that Lopez had been pregnant for 25 to 28 weeks.
“She’s coping the best she can,” Lopez’s defense attorney Rebecca McClung said, adding that her client thought the child was a stillborn. “The mother is coping the best she can. The grandmother is coping the best she can.”
Lopez was initially charged as an adult with felony child abuse resulting in death, which could have meant 20 years in prison. However, in February, her case was transferred to juvenile court after her mental state and lack of criminal record were considered, the World-Herald reported.
She reportedly was ordered to live in a group home because judges were concerned that she didn't understand the severity of her actions. The Facebook deletion order stemmed from her receiving numerous negative comments on her page following her arrest, the World-Herald reported.
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