North Dakota mom sentenced to life for smothering 1-month-old infant to death
02/28/2022 2:50 pm PST
WILLISTON, N.D. (TCD) -- A 21-year-old woman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last week for smothering her newborn son to death in 2019.
KFYR-TV reports Hannah McMillin was handed the sentence Friday, Feb. 25, in Williams County Court. According to the Williston Herald, McMillin entered an Alford plea to murder, which means she does not admit the crime but knows there is a likelihood of conviction.
Hannah McMillin and her husband Tank McMillin were arrested in April 2019 and charged with murder after police responded to a call regarding an unresponsive 1-month-old at a local hotel, according to KYFR. A nurse reportedly found the infant under a pile of pillows with bruising on his body. He was transported to Children's Hospital St. Alexius Health Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Tank McMillin was reportedly sentenced to 3.5 years in prison in October 2020 for child abuse, the Williston Herald reports.
According to the Williston Herald, prosecutors said the McMillins' infant started crying, and Hannah reportedly squeezed him to stop. She then reportedly held a pillow over the child's face.
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