Daughter of Corridor of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley says she thought child died after she gave delivery

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The daughter of baseball Corridor of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley testified at her trial Wednesday that she didn’t know she was pregnant when she gave delivery within the woods in subfreezing temperatures on Christmas evening in 2022 and thought her now 19-month-old son had died.

Alexandra Eckersley, 27, was homeless on the time and residing in a tent in Manchester, New Hampshire. A forensic psychologist testified earlier Wednesday that Eckersley was affected by psychological well being and developmental points recognized since childhood, in addition to substance abuse dysfunction. She was not being handled for these circumstances on the time. Her trial started July 25 and the jury acquired the case Wednesday afternoon.

Deliberations had been anticipated to renew Thursday morning.

“Ally had no clue what was occurring,” her legal professional, Kim Kossick, mentioned throughout closing arguments.

Prosecutors mentioned her son was left alone for greater than an hour as temperatures dipped to fifteen levels Fahrenheit (minus 9.4 levels Celsius) and suffered respiratory misery and hypothermia.

Prosecutor Shawn Sweeney famous in closing arguments that Eckersley had a really troublesome life, however “that is about that child, mendacity on the bottom, freezing to dying.”

Eckersley pleaded not responsible to prices of assault, reckless conduct, falsifying proof and endangering the welfare of a kid.

She mentioned she began having abdomen pains earlier that day and thought she was constipated, however did not really feel any higher after a person who was staying together with her gave her ibuprofen and drugs for an upset abdomen.

“It felt like a knife stabbing into my abdomen,” Eckersley mentioned of the ache.

She mentioned she did not know what labor pains felt like. When requested by her legal professional, Kim Kossick, when she realized she had been pregnant she mentioned, “when the newborn got here out of me.”

She mentioned she did not have a look at her child and requested the person to take his pulse as a result of she did not know the way. “He mentioned there was no pulse,” Eckersley mentioned.

She had been bleeding and mentioned she and the person determined to name for assist, however had no cellphone service. They began strolling towards an ice enviornment. On their means, Alexandra Eckersley skilled afterbirth. She testified she thought she was having a second little one.

The child was left within the tent.

“Did it happen to you to choose him up and produce him with you?” Kossick requested.

“No,” Eckersley mentioned.

“Why not?”

“Properly, I believed he was lifeless.”

Eckersley informed a 911 dispatcher that she had given delivery to 2 kids, and that one had lived for lower than a minute, and the opposite died instantly, her legal professionals mentioned. She informed the dispatcher and police the place she lived and pointed to the realm, which was throughout a bridge, however police didn’t take heed to her, her legal professionals mentioned.

Prosecutor Alexander Gatzoulis mentioned Eckersley deliberately led first responders to a distinct location, as a result of she didn’t need to get into bother and didn’t inform them at first that the newborn had cried after she gave delivery. She was the one one who might cause them to the newborn as a result of the person had left, he mentioned.

“You didn’t inform them the place the newborn was,” he mentioned.

“That’s appropriate,” Eckersley mentioned.

She additionally mentioned “appropriate” when Gatzoulis mentioned she did not inform the dispatcher or the primary responders that the newborn had cried, and that she mentioned she would give an officer a name when the newborn was discovered.

“Basically what you had been telling them is that they might cease looking and you’ll get again to them should you discovered the newborn,” Gatzoulis mentioned.

“It is not what I meant by it, however doubtlessly, that might be taken that means,” she mentioned.

Ultimately, Eckersley took them to the tent, the place they discovered the newborn, alive.

On redirect, Eckersley mentioned she knew among the statements she made to police on the time had been mistaken, however that she did not know that. She mentioned she was afraid of the person she was staying with. He was arrested along with Eckersley and was sentenced final August to a 12 months in jail after pleading responsible to a toddler endangerment cost.

Eckersley has been living full-time together with her son and household in Massachusetts since earlier this 12 months.

The Eckersley household launched a press release shortly after she was arrested, saying that they had no prior information of her being pregnant and had been in full shock. The household mentioned she has suffered from “extreme psychological sickness her whole life” and that they did their absolute best to get her assist and help.

Dennis Eckersley, who attended the trial this week, was drafted by Cleveland out of highschool in 1972 and went on to pitch 24 seasons for Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis. He gained the AL Cy Younger and MVP awards in 1992 whereas taking part in for the Oakland Athletics. After his taking part in days, Eckersley retired in 2022 from broadcasting Boston Purple Sox video games.