Mother pleads guilty to abandoning newborn son in Wilmington trash can
A woman will spend at least 16 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to the attempted first-degree murder of her newborn son.
Maryuri Estefany Calix-Macedo, 23, was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder in July 2020 — two days after she gave birth to a son, tied him inside a black trash bag and placed him in a trash can.
The child survived and is healthy, now nearing his second birthday. Calix-Macedo was 21 at the time she gave birth.
Calix-Macedo pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder, one count of intentional child abuse and one count of negligent child abuse on Monday morning in New Hanover County court.
In a prepared statement translated by a court translator, Calix-Macedo said the guilt and pain she feels will "never go away."
"I was not OK mentally," Calix-Macedo said. "I love my children very much."
Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow sentenced Calix-Macedo to 196 to 248 months in prison — 16 to 20 years. When her sentence is up, Calix-Macedo's son will be an adult.
Previous reporting:
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According to court documents and search warrants, Calix-Macedo told police she gave birth to the son on July 16, 2020, in her home bathroom. She left the boy in the toilet while tending to her daughter, according to police.
About 4 p.m. that afternoon, Calix-Macedo put the newborn a plastic bag, placed him in the trunk of her car and went shopping at Walmart, according to police. Search warrant paperwork said security camera footage showed her driving away from Walmart at 4:31 p.m.
She then went to the parking lot at Christ Community Church on Fairview Drive off Carolina Beach Road and left the newborn in the trash bin, she told police.
A passer-by, Cynthia Burton, heard the child's cries and found him about 5:05 p.m.
Burton testified in court Monday morning. She said she was walking her dog, Flounder, that afternoon when she heard a noise coming from a trash bin hear the church.
Burton said she discovered the noise was coming from a black trash bag inside the trash bin. When she ripped the bag open she found a "beautiful baby" crying.
"As soon as I held him in my arms, he stopped crying," Burton said.
As she waited for first responders to arrive, Burton said she sang "Jesus Loves Me" to the boy.
Amy James, a psychologist based in New Bern, was called by the defense to testify Monday as an expert witness. She said she diagnosed Calix-Macedo with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming, in part, from childhood trauma and abandonment.
James said Calix-Macedo's PTSD caused her to not be in touch with her emotions and to live in "survival mode" for much of her life.
"She has been through things that the majority of us in this room cannot even fathom," James said.
Assistant District Attorney Lance Oehrlein prosecuted the case for the state. Oehrlein said the amount of time that passed from the infant's birth — around 8 a.m. — to when Calix-Macedo "abandoned" the "helpless" baby in the trash can points to premeditation.
Oehrlein said he spoke to the child's father Monday and learned he is doing well.
"As far as we know, he did not suffer any long-term effects from what happened to him on his first day of life," Oehrlein said.
Calix-Macedo received the maximum sentence under the law for the crimes she pleaded guilty to, Oehrlein said.
According to North Carolina’s “Safe Surrender Law,” parents can anonymously transfer newborns less than a week old to another adult — including a health care provider, law enforcement officer, social services worker or emergency medical personnel — or to the Department of Social Services.
Jamey Cross is the public safety reporter at the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Woman pleads guilty to attempted first-degree murder of newborn son
