A woman who strangled her newborn baby to death in Connecticut in 1986 was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation and will not serve jail time.
Janita Phillips, 65, pleaded guilty earlier this year to first-degree manslaughter for killing her young son, who police named “Baby John,” in 1986 in Greenwich.
A psychological evaluation found Phillips was under “extreme emotional distress” when she killed her son, WCBS reported. She and her husband had recently moved into an apartment after being homeless, and the husband didn’t want any more children. Phillips hid the pregnancy from him.
Judge Gary White said he initially questioned Phillips’ plea deal, which called for no jail time, given the disturbing facts of the case, according to the Connecticut Post. However, he changed his mind after learning more details.
“This truly is a case where justice must be tempered by mercy,” the judge said.
The baby boy was found dead in a garbage truck in Greenwich in 1986, and Phillips was initially a person of interest but never arrested or interrogated. She and her husband moved to Florida shortly afterward.
The case went cold until 2019, and Phillips was arrested in 2021 after DNA evidence tied her to the killing. She admitted culpability in an interview with police shortly afterward.
If Phillips violates the terms of her probation, she will be required to serve a 20-year prison sentence.
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