September 27, 2019 at 01:09AM
The parents of Brooke Skylar Richardson are speaking out — and standing by their daughter after she was found not guilty of murdering her newborn but convicted of abuse of a corpse after burying the baby's remains.
In an interview with 48 Hours, Scott and Kim Richardson tell Erin Moriarty how difficult the ordeal has been on their family. "It was the worst nightmare," Kim tells the show. "Purgatory every day. Our lives have been completely turned upside-down."
"We're followed, stalked, harassed," she adds. "Facebook, to me, turned into Hatebook."
Richardson had been a senior in high school when she was accused of killing and burying her newborn daughter. Prosecutors alleged that the varsity cheerleader didn't want to be a single mom at age 18.
Richardson's attorneys argued that the baby was stillborn and didn't meet the legal criteria to be considered a child.
Brooke Skylar Richardson and family | Greg Lynch/The Journal-News via AP
RELATED: Expert Explains: Why Was Cheerleader Acquitted of Killing Newborn She Later Buried?
Richardson, now 20, was acquitted of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment earlier this month.
Jurors found her guilty on one charge — gross abuse of a corpse — after Richardson, who pleaded not guilty, admitted to burying the body in the backyard of her family's Ohio home in July 2017.
She was sentenced to three years probation, with credit for seven days she already has spent in custody. If she is found to violate that probation, she could spend up to a year in jail.
Brooke Skylar Richardson | Nick Graham/The Journal-News via AP
During sentencing, Richardson apologized for her actions.
"I would do anything that you ask," she told the judge. "I can sometimes be selfish, but I'm getting better. I'm forever sorry. I'm so sorry. I've hurt a lot of people. I am really, really sorry. And I understand."
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
In the 48 Hours interview, Kim Richardson opens up about how she felt when she learned that her daughter had gotten pregnant and secretly given birth.
"I couldn't feel my body. I could not get up," she says.
As the news sunk in, Kim Richardson was struck with disbelief. "How could that happen? I've seen her every day. I look at her. I talk to her. I hug her."
Still, the family believes Richardson would not purposefully harm her child. "There's no way she would ever hurt anyone," Scott Richardson told the show. Adds Kim Richardson: "There's no way. I would stake my life on it."
The parents of Brooke Skylar Richardson are speaking out — and standing by their daughter after she was found not guilty of murdering her newborn but convicted of abuse of a corpse after burying the baby's remains.
In an interview with 48 Hours, Scott and Kim Richardson tell Erin Moriarty how difficult the ordeal has been on their family. "It was the worst nightmare," Kim tells the show. "Purgatory every day. Our lives have been completely turned upside-down."
"We're followed, stalked, harassed," she adds. "Facebook, to me, turned into Hatebook."
Richardson had been a senior in high school when she was accused of killing and burying her newborn daughter. Prosecutors alleged that the varsity cheerleader didn't want to be a single mom at age 18.
Richardson's attorneys argued that the baby was stillborn and didn't meet the legal criteria to be considered a child.
Brooke Skylar Richardson and family | Greg Lynch/The Journal-News via AP
RELATED: Expert Explains: Why Was Cheerleader Acquitted of Killing Newborn She Later Buried?
Richardson, now 20, was acquitted of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment earlier this month.
Jurors found her guilty on one charge — gross abuse of a corpse — after Richardson, who pleaded not guilty, admitted to burying the body in the backyard of her family's Ohio home in July 2017.
She was sentenced to three years probation, with credit for seven days she already has spent in custody. If she is found to violate that probation, she could spend up to a year in jail.
Brooke Skylar Richardson | Nick Graham/The Journal-News via AP
During sentencing, Richardson apologized for her actions.
"I would do anything that you ask," she told the judge. "I can sometimes be selfish, but I'm getting better. I'm forever sorry. I'm so sorry. I've hurt a lot of people. I am really, really sorry. And I understand."
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
In the 48 Hours interview, Kim Richardson opens up about how she felt when she learned that her daughter had gotten pregnant and secretly given birth.
"I couldn't feel my body. I could not get up," she says.
As the news sunk in, Kim Richardson was struck with disbelief. "How could that happen? I've seen her every day. I look at her. I talk to her. I hug her."
Still, the family believes Richardson would not purposefully harm her child. "There's no way she would ever hurt anyone," Scott Richardson told the show. Adds Kim Richardson: "There's no way. I would stake my life on it."