Alexis Avila.Photo: Hobbs Police Department/AP
An Albuquerque, New Mexico, teenager has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for throwing her newborn into a dumpster behind a shopping center in January 2022, according to multiple reports.
On Monday, a jury found Alexis Avila guilty of attempted first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in great bodily harm,KRQE Newsreports.
A state district judge cited mental health concerns and the defendant’s age in suspending two years of the punishment, according to theAssociated Press.
“I regret his first hours of life were traumatic, and I regret that he will always have this in the back of his head and will think I do not love him because that’s what he’ll read and hear,” Avila said, according to the AP. “But that’s not true at all. I do love him. I truly do.”
File: Mary Hudetz/AP
Avila, who was 18 at the time of the incident, reportedly gave birth to her son in a family member’s bathroom. A criminal complaint reports Avila said she did not know she was pregnant until she went to a doctor for stomach pain on Jan. 6, according to the AP. She gave birth the following day, per the report.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Ibukun Adepoju, Avila’s public defender, requested that the judge give the lowest possible sentencing, citing her lack of a criminal record, her age, and her cooperation with the court process, perKRQE. Adepoju argued her mental health disorder played a role in her actions,which he said were not premeditated.
In addition to the 18 years, Judge William Shoobridge ordered Avila to enroll in a parenting skills course and cognitive behavioral therapy while in prison.
“You’ve given yourself a life sentence of knowing what you did with your child,” Judge Shoobridge told Avila,KOAT-7reports. “And you’ve also given your son that same life sentence and that is probably something that is as hard to deal with as any length of time that you may have in prison.”
Avila will receive credit for 475 days served.
source: people.com
