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Despite a defense attorney’s efforts to convince a judge a Redwood City woman who gave birth to a baby boy in the restroom of a Redwood City McDonald’s restaurant was not aware she was pregnant and did not intend to kill her son, a judge found there was enough evidence to hold the woman to answer on a charge of attempted murder Thursday for the Sept. 4, 2017, incident, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Judge Mark Forcum allegedly said the fact Sarah Lockner, 26, told a co-worker who found her in the restroom with the baby not to call the police and never asked about the baby’s condition were among the factors he considered in making his decision, according to prosecutors.
In an effort to have Lockner’s charges thrown out at her preliminary hearing, her defense attorney Jonathan McDougall allegedly called three witnesses to the stand Thursday, including an expert witness. Lockner’s boyfriend, with whom she has a 4-year-old child, allegedly said the births of both of their children have come as a surprise to both of them and said he knows how tough it would be for the couple financially to support another child. Her boyfriend’s sister, who has custody of both children, reportedly said she saw Lockner regularly in the time leading up to the incident and she didn’t look pregnant, according to prosecutors.
A third witness, Dr. Cara Angelotta of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, allegedly said she has done research on pregnancy denial, believed Lockner showed signs of pervasive pregnancy denial and was in a state of disassociation after the shocking birth of her baby, according to prosecutors.
Lockner’s eight-month-old son is reportedly doing well and does not at this time show signs of long-term injury from the incident, according to prosecutors.
Lockner’s preliminary hearing was conducted some eight months after she allegedly complained of stomach pain and made repeated trips to the restroom during an evening shift at the fast-food restaurant. At around 10 p.m., her manager suggested she go home but, even after clocking out of her shift, Lockner allegedly stayed at the restaurant in the restroom, according to prosecutors.
One employee who checked on Lockner saw blood surrounding the stall. When a second employee checked on her, she looked over Lockner’s stall and allegedly saw her holding the baby facedown in the toilet bowl. She allegedly heard the toilet flush when she stepped down and alerted police, despite Lockner’s request that she not alert authorities, according to prosecutors.
Though the child was without a pulse and not breathing when police arrived, he responded to emergency care at the hospital. Lockner allegedly told police at the scene she didn’t know she was pregnant and was surprised the baby was born, according to prosecutors.
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The incident was allegedly not the first time she unexpectedly gave birth to a child, according to prosecutors.
Some four years ago, Lockner reportedly walked into the bathroom of her apartment while her boyfriend and aunt were there and came out with a newborn baby. None of the parties, including Lockner, were aware she was pregnant at the time, according to prosecutors.
Lockner’s case was continued to June 1 for Superior Court arraignment and she remains in custody on $11 million bail. She is also set to appear in court June 2 for a hearing on a request to modify the protective order on her children so she is allowed to have supervised visits with them, according to prosecutors.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said prosecutors agreed with Forcum’s conclusions Thursday and will focus on proving her charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The standard for a preliminary hearing is whether there is a probable cause,” he said. “We know we have to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt — that’s a much higher standard.”
McDougall could not be immediately reached for comment.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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