A New Jersey woman who admitted to leaving her newborn in a toilet, ultimately causing him to drown, has pleaded guilty to a charge second-degree manslaughter.
Kimberly Aponte was 19 years old when she gave birth to a baby boy on Aug. 22, 2020 in the bathroom of a Hackensack apartment she shared with her family, NJ.com reported. She said her infant “fell into the toilet,” where she left him for several hours while she cleaned up the bathroom, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the outlet.
When she believed he was no longer alive, Aponte pulled the boy from the water, wrapped him in a towel and then placed him in the hamper. She later told authorities she had plans to bury the baby in the backyard when she had the chance, but her father found the body before she could, and he called 911.
“She left the baby there because she realized it would change her life,” a detective wrote in the probable cause affidavit.
When officers arrived at the residence, the baby’s remains were sitting on the kitchen peninsula.
Aponte later confessed that she did not seek prenatal care and hid the pregnancy from everyone except her boyfriend.
Now 23, Aponte pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge as part of a plea deal that saw prosecutors drop additional counts against her, including endangering, hindering, and disturbing or desecrating human remains, court records show. Prosecutors also recommended that she serve up to four years in prison
Aponte is due to be sentenced on July 16, but she agreed to surrender on April 11 to begin serving her time.
