A New Jersey teen is facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly suffocating her newborn son before having the baby’s father discard of the infant’s body in a dumpster.
According to NJ Advance Media, Jada M. McClain, 18, claimed she and Quaimere Mohammed, 19, had discussed killing their son days before she gave birth to him. An arrest affidavit alleged that Mohammed said “they have to do what’s best for them.”
A friend of McClain’s reportedly went to police, alleging that McClain had given birth a week earlier and that the newborn was deceased. The friend claimed she was with McCain in November, when McClain took a pregnancy test. She saw the suspect again in February, when McClain allegedly showed off her pregnant stomach and claimed she was “drinking, smoking weed, and taking pills” to miscarry, the news outlet reported.
On March 31, McClain reportedly sent her friend a message via Snapchat to reveal she had given birth early on March 29. According to the affidavit, she sent the friend two images of the baby, whom she reportedly named Legend, which showed him“blue and purple” with “dry lips and puffy eyes.”
Neptune police interviewed McClain on Thursday. She confirmed she had given birth in the bathroom of her home on March 29. She revealed that she took the crying newborn to her bedroom, placed his back on her bed, and put both her hands on his chest to suffocate him, according to the Asbury Park Press.
“Jada explained that prior to placing her hands on her baby’s chest, she disclosed that the baby was breathing and that her intention was to stop her baby from breathing,” the affidavit stated.
The document also stated that McClain wanted to have an abortion but mistakenly believed she needed parental consent to terminate her pregnancy because she was 17.
McClain reportedly called Mohamed the morning she gave birth before wrapping Legend in a blanket, placing him in a bag, and putting him in the backseat of her car. She picked up Mohamed from his home and the pair drove to the parking lot of the Washington Village apartment complex—where Mohamed is said to have put the baby’s body in a trash dumpster, according to police.
NJ Advance Media reported that law enforcement reviewed surveillance footage which showed Mohamed toss a blue-colored trash bag into the dumpster at 9:30 a.m on March 29.
Authorities haven’t revealed whether they’ve recovered the newborn’s remains. Mohamed is currently charged with second-degree disturbing or desecrating human remains. He hasn’t been implicated in his son’s murder. McClain is charged with first-degree murder.
This is a developing story. Check back with CrimeOnline for updates as they become available.
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