A jury reached a split verdict Friday in the case of a mother charged with abandoning her newborn in subfreezing temperatures after giving birth in the woods.
Jurors found 27-year-old Alexandra Eckersley, daughter of baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, guilty of reckless conduct and endangering the welfare of a child, but not guilty of assault charges.
Eckersley visibly exhaled and held her defense counsel’s hand as the not guilty verdict was read.
She had testified during her trial last month that she didn’t know she was pregnant and thought the child had died after she gave birth on Christmas night in 2022. A psychologist testified that Eckersley was suffering from substance use disorder and mental health and developmental issues, and that she wasn’t receiving treatment.
Eckersley was homeless at the time and gave birth in a tent in Manchester, New Hampshire. Prosecutors said her son, who survived, was left alone for more than an hour, suffering from respiratory distress and hypothermia as temperatures dipped to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 9.4 degrees Celsius).
Her jury trial started July 25 in Manchester. Jurors got the case Wednesday.
Eckersley testified that a man who was with her said the baby did not have a pulse. The couple had no cellphone service to call for help and started walking toward an ice arena. On their way, Alexandra Eckersley experienced afterbirth, but thought she had a second child. She told a 911 dispatcher that she had given birth to two children, one who died immediately and the other who lived for less than a minute.
She told the dispatcher and police where she lived and pointed to the area, which was across a bridge. But police ignored what she told them, her lawyers said. She also was afraid to return to the tent because the man, who had left when police arrived, told her he didn’t want anyone else there, they argued.
The man arrested along with Alexandra Eckersley was sentenced last August to a year in jail after pleading guilty to a child endangerment charge.
Prosecutors said Eckersley intentionally led first responders to a different location, because she did not want to get into trouble.
She eventually led police to the tent. The baby was found cold, blue, covered in blood — but alive, prosecutors said.
“It made me happy” to find out the baby was alive, Eckersley testified Wednesday.
Eckersley has been living full time with her son and mother in Massachusetts since earlier this year. The Eckersley family released a statement shortly after she was arrested, saying they had no prior knowledge of her pregnancy and were in complete shock. The family said she has suffered from “severe mental illness her entire life” and that they did their very best to get her help and support.
Dennis Eckersley, who attended the trial this week, was drafted by Cleveland out of high school in 1972 and went on to pitch 24 seasons for Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis. He won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1992 while playing for the Oakland Athletics. After his playing days, Eckersley broadcasted Boston Red Sox games, retiring in 2022.
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