Woman accused of illegally aborting and burning her 29-week baby receives lenient sentence from judge.
A Tragic Case: Woman Accused of Illegally Aborting and Burning Her 29-Week Baby Receives a Light Sentence
In a shocking turn of events, a Nebraska woman who confessed to killing her unborn child during the 29th week of pregnancy and attempting to burn the baby’s body is now facing a mere 90 days in jail.
The woman, Celeste Burgess, was only 17 years old at the time when she used abortion pills to terminate her viable pregnancy, tragically ending the life of her child.
According to The New York Times, the investigation began in April 2022 when police in Norfolk, Nebraska received reports that Burgess had delivered a stillborn baby and buried it with the help of her mother, Jessica Burgess.
However, the truth came to light when private Facebook messages between the mother and daughter were uncovered, revealing their sinister plan to kill the unborn baby and destroy the evidence.
Jessica Burgess, 42, purchased abortion pills online and provided them to her daughter, who was in her third trimester of pregnancy, according to police.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the Burgesses had initially claimed the baby was stillborn in a bathtub and showed the detective the burial site. However, further evidence revealed that they had actually aborted the child, buried the remains, and then moved them to a different location.
Even more disturbingly, an individual who assisted them revealed that the women had attempted to burn the baby’s body, resulting in the exhumation of the remains, which showed signs of “thermal injuries.”
As the case unfolded, the detective sought to gather more evidence to shed light on the exact circumstances of the child’s death. Celeste was asked to provide the precise date the pregnancy ended, and in doing so, she consulted her Facebook messages.
Based on the information revealed in these messages, the detective obtained a warrant to access all correspondence exchanged between the mother and daughter via Facebook Messenger.
Jessica Burgess now faces multiple charges, including violating Nebraska’s abortion law, furnishing false information to a law enforcement officer, and concealing human skeletal remains. She has taken a plea deal and is awaiting sentencing.
Meanwhile, Celeste Burgess pleaded guilty to one count of removing/concealing/abandoning a dead human body. Shockingly, she has been sentenced to just 90 days in county jail, as reported by KTIV.
BREAKING: 19-year-old charged in Northeast Nebraska abortion case gets 90 days in jail
Read more >> https://t.co/iMRYTaZbOo pic.twitter.com/SDMt586OvS— KTIV News Four (@ktivnews) July 20, 2023
Nebraska law considers Celeste’s offense a Class IV felony, which carries a maximum punishment of two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
This case has garnered significant attention, especially in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
The callous disregard for human life displayed in this case is deeply disturbing. This woman, with the help of her mother, not only ended the life of her own unborn child but also desecrated the baby’s remains.
It is important to remember that this baby was fully viable at 29 weeks and could have been given up for adoption, leading a happy and healthy life. Instead, the child’s chance at life was brutally taken away, and their body was subjected to further abuse through attempted burning and multiple burials.
The light sentence given to Celeste Burgess is a disappointing outcome for such a serious crime. Justice should have been served in a manner that reflects the gravity of this tragedy.
Is this sentence fair?
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Nebraska had already banned abortion after 20 weeks from conception before the Dobbs decision. In May, Governor Jim Pillen signed a 12-week ban into law.
The tragic nature of this case serves as a reminder of the value of every human life. It is a heartbreaking example of the consequences of disregarding the sanctity of life and the need for justice to be served.
This article was originally published on The Western Journal.
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