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Erfurt Trial Opens Over Newborn’s Bathtub Death as Mother Cites Memory Gaps

Prosecutors say she accepted the risk by placing the infant back in the water.

Overview

  • The 38-year-old faces a manslaughter charge before the Erfurt regional court after a home birth about two years ago in Weimarer Land.
  • Prosecutors, led by Steffi Herb, allege she put the newborn back into the bathwater, causing drowning or asphyxiation, and accepted the fatal risk.
  • The defendant testified through tears that she remembers little, recalling only that the baby lay on her abdomen and did not breathe, and she believed it was stillborn.
  • She said she cut the umbilical cord, placed the baby by a bedroom wardrobe, cleaned the bathroom, and later told paramedics it was a stillbirth after her partner called for help.
  • The proceedings are underway at the regional court and no verdict has been reached.