The mother of a newborn who set her own baby on fire on a road in Mount Holly, N.J. has pleaded guilty to the charge of aggravated manslaughter. She was previously charged with murder to which she pleaded not guilty.
According to Yahoo News, prosecutors of 23-year-old Hyphern Kemberly Dorvilier recommended that she will be sentenced to 30 years in prison. Her sentencing is due on April 22.
Dorvilier, who lives in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, reportedly doused her newborn with an accelerant and set her on fire. Residents in the neighborhood confronted her, and she tried to hide her actions by saying that she was burning feces, which were left by her dog inside her vehicle.
Reports have it that Dorvilier tried to flee after putting out the flames using bottled water and the baby started crying. However, those concerned neighbors detained her and called the local authorities.
Court documents stated that when police arrived at the scene, the neighbor was holding down the woman on the ground, while the baby was wrapped in towel and paper, both of which were smoldering. A lighter and a can of WD-40 were found in the jacket pocket of Dorvilier. The police also found that the umbilical cord and the placenta of the baby were still attached when they unwrapped the baby in the police cruiser.
The burnt baby was immediately flown to St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia hospital. But due to the massive third-degree burns that the baby suffered, affecting 60 percent of her body, she died two hours after arriving at the hospital.
In another report by CBS News, Dorvilier was trying to hide her pregnancy from her mother and sister. Based on her actions, she must have opted to set the baby on fire to get rid of any evidence of her pregnancy than inform her family about it.
