Florida woman who killed baby in 1986 sentenced to probation in cold case DNA probe
A woman who killed her infant son in in Connecticut and went on to live a seemingly quiet normal life with her family in Florida for three decades was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation Janita Phillips of Lake Mary Florida was charged with murder in after police noted new DNA testing linked her to the crime She pleaded guilty to a lesser manslaughter charge in April The probation sentence was extraordinary in a child homicide situation but warranted because a peer-reviewed psychological assessment concluded Phillips experienced extreme emotional distress at the time of the killing both the prosecutor and defense lawyer mentioned Judge Gary White in Stamford Connecticut called it a episode deserving mercy When Phillips killed the infant she and her husband had just moved into an apartment in Greenwich Connecticut with their eldest child after being homeless and her husband had recounted her he didn t want another baby her lawyer Stephen DeLeo revealed The couple who remain together and have been married for years were stressed about money and their ability to feed their family DeLeo explained Phillips notified police she hid the pregnancy from her husband and other relatives an arrest warrant explained Police stated her husband did not know about the baby s death and had no involvement Phillips and her husband have three children who are now adults One of their sons is disabled and resides at an assistant living facility while her husband has health problems and she takes care of him DeLeo mentioned in an interview Incarcerating her would serve no purpose at this time DeLeo revealed adding that this occurrence was Phillips only brush with the law in her life He also disclosed she lost her insurance industry job because of the circumstance Phillips cried during the sentencing hearing and stated she had a deep sense of regret She also noted she took full responsibility DeLeo declared Under her sentence if she violates probation she could face up to years in prison The newborn child named Baby John by police was unveiled dead in a garbage truck on May after workers had emptied a dumpster at the apartment building in Greenwich where Phillips lived administration disclosed The chief anatomical examiner s office determined the baby was strangled shortly after being born and ruled his death a homicide Phillips and her family moved to Florida shortly after the baby s death police disclosed Greenwich police mentioned they used newly available DNA testing in that linked evidence located at the crime scene to the boy s mother Police took items out of the trash and recycling at Phillips Florida home in DNA testing revealed Phillips and her husband were the parents of the infant administration announced
