A New Mexico teen accused of abandoning her newborn boy in a dumpster last year has been convicted of attempted first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in great bodily harm, KRQE-TV reports.
Jurors returned the verdict against 19-year-old Alexis Avila shortly after 4 p.m. Friday following more than two hours of deliberations.
Prosecutors charged Avila in January 2022 after she put the newborn baby in a garbage bag and threw the bag into a dumpster behind a shopping center in Hobbs, New Mexico.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, three people dumpster diving at night found the infant. “We just found a baby in the god***n trash,” the caller said, according to KRQE-TV. “He’s freezing cold and still has his umbilical cord attached.”
Avila had testified in her own defense on Thursday, alleging that she had “blacked out” and had no memory of tossing the child in the dumpster, KCBD-TV reports.
But she acknowledged that her actions will forever impact her son.
“That’s something that he’s never going to forget. It’s something that’s going to affect him for the rest of his life as well as myself,” Avila testified, according to KCBD-TV.
A psychologist who treated Avila testified that she diagnosed the teen six months after the incident with bipolar disorder. Hormonal fluctuations during the pregnancy could have exacerbated the condition.
The father of the child also testified and said the boy, who survived, has a possible heart murmur and asthma but is otherwise doing well, according to KOB-TV.
The state asked that Avila be detained until a sentencing hearing on May 1, but the judge denied the request and allowed the teen to remain free until she is sentenced. The judge noted that Avila has complied with the court’s conditions and that May 1 is only weeks away.
Avila faces up to 18 years in prison on the attempted murder conviction, however, that term could be reduced to 12 years.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode below.
[Feature Photo: Alexis Avila/Police Handout]
