Alexis Avila has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for throwing her newborn son into a dumpster in New Mexico. The sentence was handed down after a jury found her guilty of attempted first degree murder and child abuse causing great bodily harm. Despite her mental illnesses, the State argued that the crime was intentional and violent. Avila showed remorse only after hearing the guilty verdict. The court also heard from the baby’s father, who spoke on his son’s behalf. Avila will serve two years of probation after her prison sentence.
Jury selection has begun in the trial of Alexis Avila, a young mother from Hobbs, who is accused of abandoning her newborn son in a dumpster in January 2022. Avila, who was 18 at the time, claimed she had no idea she was pregnant and was worried about the consequences of having a baby at her age. She has been charged with abuse of a child resulting in great bodily harm intentional or recklessly. The baby, known as Saul, was found wrapped in trash bags and was taken to a local hospital. He was later released and taken in by his father and paternal grandparents. New Mexico Senator David Gallegos is reintroducing a bill to get baby boxes in all 33 counties in the state, in hopes of giving mothers a safe option to surrender their babies.
Alexis Avila, a woman from Hobbs, has been found guilty of child abuse and first-degree attempted murder for throwing a newborn baby into a trash dumpster in early 2022. She could face up to 18 years in prison and her sentencing hearing is set for May 1.
Alexis Avila, a 19-year-old from Hobbs, New Mexico, was found guilty of child abuse with great bodily harm resulting in great bodily harm and one count of attempted first-degree murder for throwing her newborn baby into a garbage dumpster. Avila testified that she did not remember what happened and “blacked out” the moment she gave birth and saw the baby. The defense argued that Avila did not have the “willful deliberation to kill her baby” due to her bipolar disorder, “moderate” ADHD, and struggles with disassociation. Avila's sentencing was set for May 1, and she faced a mandatory 18 years in prison.
