"Infant Jane" CARPENTER - (2008) - Woodland CA

The mother of a now-1-year-old child testified
against her former boyfriend in court Friday, regarding allegations of
sexual and physical abuse."I know there is no excuse for it,
but I feel that he wasn't specifically trying to hurt her; it was not
knowing how to handle her," 19-year-old Jessica Carpenter told the jury
after admitting she believes her boyfriend at the time, Richard
Schirnhofer, caused injuries to her child. Carpenter was a prosecution
witness.After a suicide attempt by Carpenter on Oct. 20,
2008, Child Protective Services took custody of the baby who they
noticed had extensive black and purple bruising on her inner thighs and
genitals; as well as jaw, cheek and ears. Pictures of the injuries were
shown to the jury Friday.After examining the child,
doctors found she had fractured ribs, a broken leg and pelvic bruising
which was determined to be consistent with blunt force trauma and
sexual abuse.Carpenter is serving a six-year sentence in
prison for child abuse, and Schirnhofer, 19, stands accused of
committing sexual acts with a child under the age of 10, willful injury
to a child, corporal injury to a child and inflicting great bodily
injury to a child.Witnesses who are family members and
friends of the couple testified Thursday about several incidents in
which Schirnhofer was "rough" with the child.On the night of the suicide attempt, Woodland Police Officer Greg Elliott was assigned to assist CPS in transporting the baby
girl from Schirnhofer's mother's home were the couple was staying, into
protective custody. When a social worker noticed bruises on the baby's
face, Elliott photographed the evidence and later interviewed
Schirnhofer.When asked about the bruising on the baby's inner
thighs, Schirnhofer told Elliott he didn't know anything about it
because he never changed her diapers.However, Carpenter
testified Schirnhofer would sometimes change diapers and was watching
the baby for about 45 minutes that morning while she slept in.When Carpenter woke up she planned on feeding the infant and attempted to put her in a child's walker."She started hysterically freaking out and screaming when I tried to put her in the chair," Carpenter said.Carpenter said she then changed the baby's diaper and noticed what she described as a very severe case of diaper rash."I thought I was failing as a mother," Carpenter said. "I felt that she would be better off with someone else."Carpenter then ingested a bottle of Tylenol PM in an attempt to take her life.During
cross examination, Public Defender Tracie Olson pressed Carpenter about
her checkered past. Carpenter had attempted suicide a hand full of
times before and suffered from depression and abused drugs and alcohol.Carpenter
admitted she was neglectful of her baby and sometimes failed to clean
her or change her diapers. Carpenter also agreed that she was black out
drunk the night before the several bruises appeared on her baby's face.Carpenter
told the jury she loved Schirnhofer and that the couple planned to
marry. She was also two months pregnant with his child the night she
attempted to take her own life.The night before
Carpenter's suicide attempt Schirnhofer's mother, Lynne Jamenez, was
baby-sitting the alleged victim. Jamenez testified that her 7-year-old
niece was playing with the baby who was seated in the baby walker.
Jamenez said her niece tried to pull the baby out of the walker about
four times, but each time dropped her back into the seat.When
Woodland police became involved with the investigation, Jamenez told
detective Darren Imus she believed the baby walker caused the child's
injuries.Schirnhofer and Carpenter were arrested in
January 2009, and continued to write letters to each other while in
custody. They promised to be together always and raise their baby and
work to get Carpenter's child back from CPS.In May 2009, Carpenter gave birth to Schirnhofer's baby while in police custody, and the couple broke up shortly after."I
love him still. I think I always will," Carpenter said in court Friday.
"But I could never be with him like I was before because of everything
that happened."Testimony continues in Yolo Superior Court on Tuesday.