A Colorado woman who flung her newborn baby over a fence and let it die in her neighbor’s backyard has been convicted of first-degree murder.
A jury found Camille Wasinger-Konrad, 23, guilty of first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and the position of trust murder charge, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Wasinger-Konrad gave birth to a girl in her bedroom in January 2018 before she covered her baby’s mouth, carried it outside wrapped in a blanket, and threw the infant over the eight-foot fence separating the home she rented from a neighboring property, prosecutors said.
Wasinger-Konrad’s neighbor Jeanette Barich called 911 when she discovered the baby’s body on her deck as she was about to take a dip in her hot tub.
Barich said her dog led her to the baby, which still had its umbilical cord attached, KDVR reported.
Deputy District Attorney Valerie Brewster told jurors the baby had been left in the neighbor’s backyard for 15 hours.
“This defendant went about her day, knowing her unnamed daughter was there, helpless. She thought and made that choice,” Brewster said, according to the district attorney’s office.
Wasinger-Konrad told deputies at the time of her arrest that she did not know she was expecting a child until she gave birth in her home. She explained to investigators that she woke up on January 2 between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. with painful stomach cramps when the baby came out.
The 23-year-old told the investigator she did not want to get in trouble, but added, “I just got rid of it,” referring to her newborn.
Wasinger-Konrad is due back in court for sentencing on November 15, where she faces up to life in prison without parole.