Woman accused of leaving baby in woods seeks to block prior child endangerment charge
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Jan. 10—Prosecutors have objected to being prevented from introducing a previous child endangerment charge in the trial of the homeless woman accused of abandoning her newborn in the cold in Manchester in December 2022.
Alexandra Eckersley, 27, is accused of giving birth to a son in a tent near the West Side Ice Arena in Manchester on Christmas night and abandoning him, then misleading rescue workers about the tent's location in temperatures below 20 degrees.
On Wednesday, Judge Amy Messer heard arguments on whether to admit into evidence at trial the previous endangerment charge. She also agreed to move jury selection, which was set for later this month, to July 22. A final pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 10 in Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester.
Eckersley faces two felony assault charges, one felony falsifying evidence charge, and misdemeanor charges of child endangerment and reckless conduct.
Public defender Kimberly Kossick said the 2021 charge was "placed on file without a finding" on Aug. 30, which means the case was never prosecuted. Kossick said the admission of the charges would be prejudicial because the jury "may assume she is a person who is a danger to children."
Kossick said the state did not prosecute because they were unable to determine Eckersley committed the crime and not someone else.
Hillsborough County prosecutor Shawn Sweeney argued the charge is relevant to the current charges, according to an objection filed Tuesday.
"The defendant's actions and demeanor on the night of the current Endangering charges mimic her actions and demeanor during her interactions with police during the previous Endangering charges," the objection reads.
On Sept. 8, 2021, Eckersley was accused of being "impaired on Methamphetamine while entrusted with an infant's care," according to court documents.
According to a police report, more than five witnesses observed a "very impaired woman" with a baby trying to walk on the sidewalk.
"Witnesses who observed the defendant before police arrived reported seeing the defendant spilled an iced coffee on the baby. The witnesses said the defendant could not stay still and did not appear to be in control of her body's movements," a police report read. "The defendant let go of the stroller and a Cumberland Farms employee took the baby from the stroller and went inside the store."
The 3-month-old baby, who belonged to another woman, was taken to Concord Hospital where it was evident the baby "had not eaten for some time," but was otherwise unharmed.
On Christmas morning in 2022, Eckersley led officers on a frantic search for her son for "nearly an hour," before leading them to the newborn. Authorities in an affidavit described Eckersley as likely on drugs, unsteady on her feet and thrashing from side to side as they tried to get her to say where the baby was.
The child, born three months early, was brought to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.
Eckersley is the adopted daughter of former Red Sox pitching great Dennis Eckersley and his second wife, Nancy.
Alexandra Eckersley and her son now live with Nancy in Massachusetts as part of a court condition. On Wednesday, she was allowed to appear on video because of child care and transportation issues.
Baby cried
Eckersley told police that the baby cried for less than a minute after birth, and a man she was with, George Theberge, believed the baby didn't have a pulse.
Lawyers have said Eckersley feared Theberge, who told her not to tell police the location of the tent.
Theberge, 45, pleaded guilty in Hillsborough County Superior Court in August to charges of endangering the welfare of a child, reckless conduct and witness tampering.
He also was sentenced on drug charges and a probation violation.
