LIVINGSTON — A 15-year-old girl was recently convicted of first-degree murder of her newborn child. This means she will be detained until her 21st birthday, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The teen is now in the custody of the Office of Juvenile Justice, serving juvenile life in connection with the 2025 killing of her newborn infant.
In November 2025, the then 14-year-old was arrested after hospital staff reported to sheriff’s deputies that the juvenile was being treated after recently giving birth at her home. At the home, deputies learned that the teen had delivered the baby and then placed the infant inside of a tote to hide it, per LPSO at the time. When they discovered the tote, LPSO says they found the baby dead with “extensive injuries to the neck.”
Assistant District Attorney Amanda Kinchen-Gros presented evidence that in 2025, Ponce delivered a full-term, alive baby in her bedroom. She killed the baby using a sharp object to deeply cut the infant’s neck. The baby’s body was later discovered in a tote in the juvenile’s bedroom by sheriff’s deputies.
District Attorney Scott Perrilloux said the delinquency adjudication is the equivalent to a criminal conviction in adult court and means that the teen will be detained until her 21st birthday without the possibility of parole, which is considered the mandatory maximum sentence.
Perrilloux said that due to the severity of the offense, the State tried to have the teen prosecuted as an adult for first-degree murder; however, because of her age, the transfer to adult court required a hearing and determination by the court, which was denied.
On Monday, Aug. 17, the teen stipulated as charged, and Judge Matthew Belser committed her to juvenile life, which will remain in effect until her 21st birthday.
“This is an unusual and horribly sad case,” Perrilloux said. “I applaud ADA Gros and our team for their determination in bringing justice for this innocent victim.”
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