2003 Media Releases:

CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA   INFORMATION

April 1, 2003

Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi and Barrington Police Chief George Preen announced that a 14-year-old Barrington girl was charged today with Murder in connection with the death of a newborn baby boy on March 16, 2003.

Assistant Camden County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian C. Hood ruled the cause of the baby's death as asphyxia and the manner of death as homicide. Dr. Hood made his ruling based on an autopsy and laboratory tests on the infant's lung tissue. The tests indicate the baby was born alive and suffered injuries consistent with having his breathing intentionally blocked, Sarubbi said.

At approximately 7 a.m. on Sunday, March 16, 2003, the 14-year-old Barrington girl was taken to Cooper Medical Center in Camden with abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. Doctors determined the girl had recently given birth. That led investigators to search in the area of the girl's home. At approximately 3:30 p.m. the same day, officers discovered a black plastic trash bag in the back yard of a home neighboring the girl's. The bag contained the body of an infant boy who appeared to have reached full-term gestation.

The investigation indicates the defendant gave birth at her residence and disposed of the baby's body in the yard near her home.

The juvenile defendant turned herself in today to authorities at Barrington Police headquarters. She is being held at the Camden County Youth Detention Center in Blackwood, N.J. Her name is being withheld because of her age.

No decision has yet been made as to whether the office will seek to have the defendant waived to adult court to face the charges, Sarubbi said. Assistant Prosecutor Diane Marano, Section Chief of the Juvenile Unit in the Prosecutor's Office, noted that the law allows 30 days for that decision to be made.

The maximum sentence for Murder in Juvenile Court is up to 20 years imprisonment. A Murder conviction for an adult carries a sentence of 30 years to life.

All persons charged with criminal offenses are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.