The Toledo woman convicted of killing her baby and then putting its body in the freezer now faces life in prison. She has the possibility of parole after 20 years.
21-year-old Kenisha Pruitt pled guilty to aggravated murder Friday morning. She admitted to the judge that she drowned her infant shortly after birth, tied a shoestring around the baby's neck and then gave the baby to her boyfriend who placed the body in the freezer.
The landlord discovered the infant in the freezer just a few months later after Pruitt and her boyfriend, Antonio Cervantes moved out.
"I'm really sorry for everything I did," Pruitt told the judge on Friday. "I want to apologize to my family and the baby's father's family."
Those familiar with the case said they were relieved to see the mother head behind bars, but still for the mourn for the baby's life that was taken too soon.
"I feel she should serve whatever they give her," says Barbara Bell Green of Toledo. "That's an innocent soul you took out of this world and that's not fair."
"Murder is murder," another concerned citizen, Darnell Brown, tells 13abc. "If she killed the child, she should be sentenced to however long is fitting."
Cervantes faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, child endangering and abuse of a corpse. Prosecutors believe his case could be resolved before going to trial, which would save a jury from looking at the very gruesome pictures.
Below are some resources about Ohio's Safe Haven Law, and options for parents or loved ones needing help.
http://jfs.ohio.gov/safehavens/index.stm
http://www.co.lucas.oh.us/index.aspx?NID=2424
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