A jury reached a split verdict on Friday in a case involving a mother charged with abandoning a newborn child in the woods in subfreezing temperatures.
Jurors found 27-year-old Alexandra Eckersley guilty of reckless conduct, endangering the welfare of a child and falsifying physical evidence, but not guilty of two felony assault charges.
Eckersley, the daughter of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, visibly exhaled and held her defense counsel’s hand in a Manchester, New Hampshire, courtroom as the not guilty verdicts were read. She was allowed to leave the court until her sentencing at a later date.
She had testified during her trial last month that she didn’t know she was pregnant and thought the child had died after she gave birth in the Manchester woods on Christmas night 2022. A psychologist testified that Eckersley was suffering from substance use disorder and mental health and developmental issues, and that she wasn’t receiving treatment.
Eckersley was homeless at the time and gave birth in a tent. Prosecutors said her son, who survived, was left alone for more than an hour, suffering from respiratory distress and hypothermia as temperatures dipped to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 9.4 degrees Celsius).
Her jury trial started July 25, and jurors got the case Wednesday. Eckersley faces a maximum prison sentence of seven years for the felony charge of falsifying physical evidence. The reckless conduct and endangerment of child charges are misdemeanors, which in New Hampshire are punishable by a maximum one year in prison.
Eckersley testified that a man who was with her said the baby did not have a pulse. The couple had no cellphone service to call for help and started walking toward an ice arena. On their way, Alexandra Eckersley experienced afterbirth, but thought she had a second child. She told a 911 dispatcher that she had given birth to two children, one who died immediately and the other who lived for less than a minute.
She told the dispatcher and police where she lived and pointed to the area, which was across a bridge. But police ignored what she told them, her lawyers said. She also was afraid to return to the tent because the man, who had left when police arrived, told her he didn’t want anyone else there, they argued.
The man arrested along with Alexandra Eckersley was sentenced last August to a year in jail after pleading guilty to a child endangerment charge.
Prosecutors said Eckersley intentionally led first responders to a different location, because she did not want to get into trouble.
She eventually led police to the tent. The baby was found cold, blue, covered in blood — but alive, prosecutors said.
“It made me happy” to find out the baby was alive, Eckersley testified Wednesday.
Eckersley has been living full time with her son and mother in Massachusetts since earlier this year. The Eckersley family released a statement shortly after she was arrested, saying they had no prior knowledge of her pregnancy and were in complete shock. The family said she has suffered from “severe mental illness her entire life” and that they did their very best to get her help and support.
Dennis Eckersley, who attended the trial this week, was drafted by Cleveland out of high school in 1972 and went on to pitch 24 seasons for Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis. He won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1992 while playing for the Oakland Athletics. After his playing days, Eckersley broadcast Boston Red Sox games, retiring in 2022.
Alexandra Eckersley looks down as the jury reads the verdict in her trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H., on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Jurors found 27-year-old Eckersley guilty of reckless conduct, endangering the welfare of a child and falsifying physical evidence, but not guilty of two assault charges. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)
Alexandra Eckersley, right, leaves the courtroom sobbing with her mother, Nancy, after the jury gave the verdict in her trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H., on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Jurors found 27-year-old Eckersley guilty of reckless conduct, endangering the welfare of a child and falsifying physical evidence, but not guilty of two assault charges. She will be sentenced at a later date. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)
Alexandra Eckersley, right, leaves the courtroom sobbing with her mother, Nancy, after the jury gave the verdict in her trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H., on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Jurors found 27-year-old Eckersley guilty of reckless conduct, endangering the welfare of a child and falsifying physical evidence, but not guilty of two assault charges. She will be sentenced at a later date. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is spending his first full day back in the White House meeting with congressional leaders, announcing an investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure and demonstrating one of his favored expressions of power: firing people.
The new president posted on his Truth social media network early Tuesday that he would fire more than 1,000 presidential appointees “who are not aligned with our vision," including some high-profile names.
Trump fired chef and humanitarian Jose Andres from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, retired Gen. Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, former State Department official Brian Hook from the board of the Wilson Center and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President’s Export Council.
“YOU’RE FIRED!” Trump said in his post — his catchphrase from his reality TV show, “The Apprentice.”
Former President Joe Biden also removed many Trump appointees in his first days in office, including former press secretary Sean Spicer from the board overseeing the U.S. Naval Academy.
Trump was set to continue building on his barrage of Inauguration Day announcements on Tuesday with plans to announce a new partnership to invest in artificial intelligence.
Three major business leaders — SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle Corp. Chairman Larry Ellison — were scheduled to join Trump in the afternoon to announce the creation of a new company called Stargate, which would invest up to $500 billion over the next four years in AI infrastructure, according to the White House.
Stargate intends to start building the project in Texas.
Trump also attended a national prayer service Tuesday morning at Washington National Cathedral, a customary visit for new presidents and one that will wrap up his four days of inauguration-related events.
One of the speakers at the interfaith service, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, used her sermon to send a message to Trump, urging compassion for LGBTQ+ people and undocumented migrant workers.
“You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now," said Budde, who has criticized Trump before.
Asked afterward by a reporter what he thought of the service, Trump said: “Not too exciting was it. I did think it was a good service. They could do much better.”
Later in the day, the president was expected to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other GOP legislators. It’s the first formal sit-down for the GOP leadership teams, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso and the new president, as they chart priorities for using Republican power in Washington.
Despite an ambitious 100-day agenda, the Republican-led Congress is not on the same page on some ideas and strategies as they rush to deliver tax cuts for the wealthy, mass deportations and other goals for Trump.
Trump used the first hours of his presidency on Monday to sign a series of executive orders and memorandums, moving quickly to show that his new hold on the U.S. government would be a stark change from his predecessor.
He pardoned hundreds of people for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate accords and the World Health Organization, began his immigration crackdown by declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and sought to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in America, which is expected to run into constitutional challenges.
He also signed an order that intends to pause a ban on TikTok for 75 days to give its China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer.
Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Darlene Superville, Tiffany Stanley and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump, from left, watches as Rev. Mariann Budde arrives at the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump, left, watches as Rev. Mariann Budde, second right, arrives at the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump, from front row left, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance look on as Rev. Mariann Budde, right, arrives at the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump, from left, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance attend the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump, from left, salutes alongside first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance during the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump, from left, salutes alongside first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance during the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump attends the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump, left, and first lady Melania Trump attend the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)