Centralia Woman Pleads Guilty to Murdering Premature Baby

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A 25-year-old Centralia woman accused of decapitating her prematurely born son nearly a year ago pleaded guilty today in Lewis County Superior Court to second-degree murder.

Originally charged with first-degree murder, Laura Lynn Hickey was due back in court Wednesday for a court hearing before her trial was to begin Monday. However, her defense attorney Ken Johnson had called Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer on Friday to discuss the charge and "the conversation just evolved," Meyer said.

Because Hickey used a knife, the conviction of second-degree murder comes with a weapon enhancement and aggravation for a particularly vulnerable victim. That allows the judge to consider the full range of sentencing, including a maximum term of life in prison.

Hickey is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 22.

In court at 1:30 p.m, Judge Nelson Hunt read aloud from a written statement that Hickey had entered into the court:

"On March 2, 2011, I gave birth to a small premature child in Lewis County. I felt the baby would not survive and I chose to cut off his head with a knife to prevent any other suffering."

Hunt asked Hickey if she agreed with the statement and she said "Yes."

Hunt asked Hickey if she intended to cause the death of her child, and she said "Yes," to prevent it from suffering.

Meyer noted he has not yet submitted a recommendation to the judge for sentencing.

Court documents say Hickey gave birth while sitting on a toilet and retrieved her baby from the water as he attempted to breathe and made a "gurgling" sound.

The baby's remains were found in a Tupperware container under a kitchen sink in the trailer Hickey lived in at Centralia's Peppertree West Motor Inn & RV Park, 1208 Alder St.

At about 1 a.m. March 2, paramedics arrived at Hickey's residence after neighbors heard screaming and responded to her trailer to find blood on the floor.



Hickey was transported to Providence Centralia Hospital, where she told a doctor she had had a miscarriage, court documents say.

Upon examination, the doctor determined Hickey had given birth. Hickey admitted to giving birth and paramedics and police were called back to her residence.

Hickey's infant was found with the head severed from the body.

Hickey told detectives that she had placed the body under a sink because she didn't want it to be found, court documents say.

Hickey also told detectives that she had decapitated her baby before experiencing a discharge of afterbirth in the living room area and screaming, court documents state. Hickey reportedly pleaded with a neighbor not to call 9-1-1.

Court documents also state that Hickey told detectives she had used methamphetamine two days before decapitating her baby and had not been to sleep since using the drug.

Meyer last year said said the baby's early stage of development - roughly 21 weeks, according to a pathologist's findings - did not matter in the case.

Hickey had no prior felony convictions but four prior misdemeanor convictions: two counts of theft, one count of vehicle prowl and one count of driving with a suspended license.

According to the Children's Administration of the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services, Hickey had three children in foster care at the time of her premature son's death.

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Adam Pearson: (360) 807-8208 and twitter.com/ChronicleSirens