NOE MEDINA Jr - 7 Months/ Accused: Sonia Hermosillo - Orange (N of Santa Ana) CA

A 7-month-old baby boy who was tossed from the fourth floor of a
hospital parking structure died Wednesday, the same day his mother made
an initial court appearance on charges of attempted murder and felony
child abuse, a police spokesman said. The child died Wednesday
morning at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center and
charges against the mother, Sonia Hermosillo, 31, will be upgraded to
murder, said Sgt. Dan Adams, spokesman for the Orange Police Department.
Prosecutors allege that Hermosillo removed a helmet that her son wore for a medical
condition before tossing him from the parking structure at Children's
Hospital of Orange County late Monday. She then went back inside the
hospital to validate her parking, senior deputy district attorney Scott
Simmons said after Hermosillo's hearing.
Hermosillo's husband, Noe Medina, told The Orange County Register in an interview Tuesday that
his wife had been hospitalized for postpartum depression in June after
she said she didn't want their son, Noe Medina Jr., who was diagnosed
with congenital muscular torticollis — a twisting of the neck to one side.
The infant also wore a helmet to help correct his plagiocephaly, also known as flat-head syndrome, the Register reported.
"She didn't look at our son as normal," Medina said. "She didn't accept him. She didn't accept that he was like this."
Medina said the boy was receiving physical therapy twice a week and was showing signs of improvement.
Simmons, the prosecutor, said Hermosillo's behavior showed she intended to kill her son, regardless of her mental state.
"It's not like she's in a fetal position when the police arrived," he said.
"She picks a specific location, drives to the top of the building (and)
takes the helmet off. I'm sure she's depressed, the post-partum blues, I'm sure she had some of that."
"It's going to be up to a jury to decide if she had the wherewithal to inform the intent to kill."
Hermosillo made a brief court appearance Wednesday, but her arraignment was postponed until Sept. 16.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Joe Perez set bail at $1 million, but
federal immigration officials have a no-bail hold to keep her in custody
because she is in the U.S. illegally, said Jim Amormino, sheriff's spokesman.
Hermosillo is also on the medical ward, where she is being kept in a cell by herself
and wearing a protective gown so she can't injure herself, he said.
The judge appointed a public defender for Hermosillo, but the attorney did not comment after the hearing.
Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office
said prosecutors were not commenting further on the infant's medical
conditions, or a motive in the case.
"We're not going to speculate at this point as to why she may have done it. I don't think
there will ever be a satisfactory answer as to why a mother would do
something like this to her child," she said.
Adams said a witness on the ground saw the baby falling just after 6 p.m. Monday and several
people, including a doctor, called 911.
Surveillance video showed Hermosillo's tan Chevrolet Blazer sport utility vehicle with an
empty child seat leaving the parking structure a short time later, the
sergeant said. The license plate was traced to Hermosillo's home.
During the investigation, La Habra police notified detectives that Medina had
reported his wife and their son missing, Adams said.
An Orange police officer driving past Children's Hospital at 10:15 p.m. spotted
the Blazer driving on a street about 100 yards from the crime scene and
Hermosillo was at the wheel, Adams said.
Court records in Orange County indicate Hermosillo has no major criminal record but pleaded
guilty to four traffic violations in La Habra in 2008, including driving
without a valid license and having no proof of insurance.
http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpps/news/national/west/police-baby-tossed-from-calif-hospital-has-died-nt11-jpe_3922098

The husband of a woman accused of tossing her disabled
seven-month-old son off the fourth story of a hospital parking structure
said that his wife suffered from postpartum depression and he doesn't
blame her for her actions.
The baby, Noe Medina Jr, died of his injuries earlier in the day at
the University of California, Irvine, Medical Centre, the same day that
his mother was charged with murder and felony child abuse.


Sonia Hermosillo, 31, made a brief court appearance but did not enter a plea. She is due back in court on Friday.
Prosecutors allege that Hermosillo removed a helmet that her son
wore for a medical condition before tossing him from the parking
structure at Children's Hospital of Orange County. She then went back
inside the hospital to validate her parking before driving away late
Monday, senior deputy district attorney Scott Simmons said.
Hermosillo's husband, Noe Medina, said in an emotional press
conference that he didn't blame his wife and urged women to get
treatment if they think they might have postpartum depression.
He previously told The Orange County Register that his wife was
deeply distraught because their son was diagnosed with congenital
muscular torticollis - a twisting of the neck to one side - and wore a
helmet to help correct his plagiocephaly, also known as flat-head syndrome.
He had been receiving treatment at Children's Hospital but did not have an appointment the day of the incident.
"My wife was not in her five senses. She didn't know what she was
doing," Medina said, choking back tears. "I don't know if many people
know what postpartum depression is, but in reality it is something very
serious and needs to be treated."
Simmons said Hermosillo's behaviour showed she intended to kill her son, regardless of her mental state.
"It's not like she's in a fetal position when the police arrived,"
he said. "She picks a specific location, drives to the top of the
building (and) takes the helmet off. I'm sure she's depressed, the
post-partum blues, I'm sure she had some of that."
"It's going to be up to a jury to decide if she had the wherewithal to inform the intent to kill."
Hermosillo's arraignment has been postponed until September 16.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Joe Perez set bail at US$1 million , but federal immigration officials have a no-bail hold to keep
her in custody because she is in the US illegally, said Jim Amormino, sheriff's spokesman.
Hermosillo was being held in the medical ward, where she is
receiving a psychological evaluation while, he said. The Mexican
national is being kept in a cell by herself and wearing a protective
gown so she can't injure herself, he added.
The judge appointed a public defender for Hermosillo. The attorney
did not comment after the hearing, which was conducted in a jailhouse
courtroom and relayed to spectators on a closed-circuit TV.
Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district
attorney's office, said prosecutors were not commenting on a motive.
"We're not going to speculate at this point as to why she may have
done it. I don't think there will ever be a satisfactory answer as to
why a mother would do something like this to her child," she said.
A witness on the ground saw the baby falling and several people,
including a doctor, called 911, said Sergeant Dan Adams, a spokesman for Orange police.
Surveillance video showed Hermosillo's sport utility vehicle with an
empty child seat leaving the parking structure a short time later, the
sergeant said. The license plate was traced to Hermosillo's home.
During the investigation, La Habra police notified detectives that
Medina had reported his wife and their son missing, Adams said.
An Orange police officer driving past Children's Hospital about four
hours later spotted the SUV on a street about 100 yards from the crime
scene and Hermosillo at the wheel, Adams said.
Both La Habra and Orange police agencies declined requests for the 911 tapes, citing the investigation.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/world-news/5505143/Mum-charged-as-baby-tossed-from-US-hospital-dies

ORANGE, Calif. - The allegations against Sonia Hermosillo might seem incomprehensible to most parents.
Prosecutors say the
mother of three drove her infant son to the fourth story of a parking
garage, removed a special helmet he wore for a medical condition and
tossed him over the edge. She then validated her parking ticket and drove away, they say.
The 7-month-old boy with deep brown eyes died Wednesday, the same day his
31-year-old mother was charged with murder and felony child abuse.
Hermosillo's husband says that she suffered from severe postpartum depression and
couldn't accept that her only son had two unusual disabilities, one of
which required him to wear a special helmet to reshape his head.
"There is no grudge against my wife. Don't judge her poorly. She was truly
ill," Noe Medina said tearfully in his native Spanish on Wednesday.
"Understand the pain that I am in ... I lost my son and now I don't want
to lose my wife. I have to keep going on for my two little girls."
Postpartum depression affects up to 20 percent of new mothers and can be triggered
or worsened by stresses such as a traumatic childbirth experience,
disabilities in the infant or an unsupportive home situation, experts said.
Most of these women have the "baby blues," a bout of depression that goes away within a few
weeks, but a tiny fraction - about .01 percent - develop postpartum
psychosis, said Stephanie Morales, a licensed marriage and family
therapist who specializes in perinatal mood disorders.
By all accounts, Hermosillo was a wonderful mother until the birth of Noe Medina Jr. this year.
The
native of Mexico had two older daughters, ages 7 and 10, and she doted
on them as a stay-at-home mother while her husband worked in
construction, according to neighbors who knew her before she gave birth to her third child.
They said she was involved in her daughters' schooling and walked them to
class in the family's working class La Habra neighborhood every day,
although she spoke little English.
When she learned she was expecting a son, she was excited, said Sonia
Herrera, an upstairs neighbor whose daughter played with Hermosillo's
children and attended the same school.
After the boy's birth, Hermosillo became withdrawn and serious, she said.
Herrera wondered if she might have postpartum depression.
Medina said his wife was hospitalized for postpartum depression in June after
she said she didn't want the boy. The baby had been diagnosed with
congenital muscular torticollis - a twisting of the neck to one side -
and wore a helmet to help correct his plagiocephaly, also known as
flat-head syndrome, The Orange County Register reported.
The day before Hermosillo was arrested, Herrera saw her taking out the trash.
"She was different. She was serious," Herrera said. "I asked her many questions,
and she just said `Yes' or `No.'"
Studies suggest that Hispanic women suffer from slightly higher rates of
postpartum depression than the general population because many are
first-generation immigrants, Morales said. They also are removed from
the social and cultural support systems that surround childbirth in many
Latin American cultures, she added. A language barrier also prevents
some immigrant women from getting help.
"In many of the pueblos and smaller towns of Latin America, especially in
Mexico, women will be quarantined for 40 days and 40 nights after
birth," said Morales, who specializes in counseling Hispanic women with
postpartum depression. "Women move to this country and ... there's some
discussion that by losing some of the cultural traditions that have been
built in over the years, women no longer have the strategies for staving off some of that."
Hermosillo's husband said his wife took medication after her hospitalization and had
seen a therapist for the first time on Monday. Later that day, she
scooped up the baby while her husband was watching their daughters, and
left their second-story apartment.
A panicked Medina called 911 to report his wife and son missing. La Habra
police has declined to release that call, citing the pending investigation.
Most postpartum depression can be treated with medication, therapy and good
family support, but stress can worsen the situation, said Morales, the specialist.
"We know that mothers who have children with special needs, they have a higher rate of
postpartum depression," said Morales, who was speaking generally and
has not treated Hermosillo. "Any kind of stressor can exacerbate these symptoms."
Authorities say she threw the baby from a parking garage at Children's Hospital of
Orange County, where the boy had been undergoing physical therapy twice a
week. The boy didn't have an appointment that day.
A witness saw the baby falling through the air, and several people,
including a doctor, called 911, said Sgt. Dan Adams, an Orange police
spokesman. One witness thought a child had dropped a doll when he saw
the baby falling through the air, said Scott Simmons, who is prosecuting the case.
Surveillance video showed Hermosillo's sport utility vehicle with an empty child seat
leaving the parking structure a short time later, Adams said. The
license plate was traced to the Hermosillo home, the sergeant said.
A police officer driving past Children's Hospital about four hours later
spotted Hermosillo driving on a street about 100 yards from the crime
scene and arrested her, Adams said. Hermosillo remained held without
bail at the request of immigration officials, who say she's in the country illegally.
Women who have been through postpartum depression said they can understand
Hermosillo's actions through the lens of their own mental illness.
Tiffany Benton, of San Jose, suffered postpartum depression after the
birth of both of her children, now 8 and 11.
Benton, 39, said she would dream about pushing her infant in a stroller down a
steep slope and letting go of the carriage. She said she was afraid to
bathe her daughter because she didn't trust herself not to drown her.
Benton went three weeks without sleeping at one point and was hospitalized for
two weeks after the birth of her younger child when she began hallucinating, she said.
Now healthy, Benton takes medication and goes to therapy, but she has cut
her medicine dose in half and hopes to taper off completely with time.
"I was just a disaster emotionally. I felt like I was going crazy and I
was having panic attacks," Benton recalled in a phone interview. "My
husband had no clue what was going on. He was like, `Oh, you'll be fine
tomorrow,' and I was like, `No, no, I won't.'"
http://www.theledger.com/article/20110825/APA/1108250563?p=all&tc=pgall

The following information is according to a press release and spokesperson from the Orange County District Attorney office:

A La Habra mother was arraigned today on charges of murder and child abuse resulting in the death of a child.
Sonia Hermosillo, 31, is accused of pushing her 7-month-old baby Noe from the fourth story of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County parking structure with the intent of killing him on Aug. 22.
The
baby suffered medical conditions, one of which he wore a helmet for,
that required treatment at CHOC regularly, but he was not scheduled for
an appointment at the hospital that day.
At approximately 6:20
p.m. that Monday, Hermosillo allegedly removed Noe’s helmet, pushed him
over the side of the parking structure, walked inside the hospital to
validate her parking, and then fled the scene.
A witness who saw Noe fall called 911, and the baby was taken to the University of California, Irvine Medical Center’s trauma center.
Hermosillo,
who is married with two other children, was arrested at approximately
10:15 p.m. after an Orange Police Department officer allegedly observed
her driving past CHOC on Main Street.
Hermosillo was initially
charged with attempted murder, but the charges were upgraded to murder
as Noe succumbed to his critical injuries on the morning of Aug. 24.
The
defendant is being held in Central Jail, Santa Ana. If convicted, she
faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.

Arraignment delayed for La Habra woman charged with killing son

Ruby Gonzales, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/29/2011 06:04:44 PM PDT

A La Habra woman who allegedly threw her 7-month-old son to his death from the fourth floor of a parking structure will return to court next month.
Sonia Hermosillo's Monday arraignment at Central Jail Court was continued to Sept. 30.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office has already filed charges of murder and child abuse resulting in death against the 31-year-old.

Authorities alleged that Hermosillo drove to the parking garage at Children's Hospital of Orange County in Orange about 6:20 p.m. on Aug. 22 where she tossed her son, Noe Medina Jr., from the fourth floor.

Orange police arrested Hermosillo about four hours later when she was seen by investigating officers driving past the hospital. Her car was captured on surveillance cameras at the parking structure around the time of the incident.
The child died of his injuries at UC Irvine Medical Center on Aug. 24.

Hermosillo's husband, Noe Medina, had reported his wife and child missing to La Habra police on Aug. 22.

He later told the Orange County Register that his wife suffered from severe post partum depression and couldn't accept the boy's condition. He said his son had plagiocephaly, known as flat-head syndrome, in addition to congenital muscular torticollis which causes the head to twist to one side.

Their son wore a special helmet due to his medical condition.

The couple also have two daughters, 7 and 10.

In a press conference last week, Medina said his wife was truly ill and asked that she not be judged poorly.
"When people do such horrific acts, society as a whole want to explain it," said Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons.

But in this case, he said there was a lot of evidence to show Hermosillo didn't want her son.

"She drove to the fourth floor, took off the baby's helmet, pushed the child off and validated her parking," Simmons said.

Hermosillo, who is a Mexican national, remains in custody at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. It could not be verified Monday if she was on suicide watch.

An immigration hold has been placed on her as well.

"The detainer ensures she will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon her release from local custody," said Lori K. Haley, ICE spokeswoman.

Department databases indicate Hermosillo has been subject to immigration enforcement on one previous occasion, according to Haley.

In June 2006, she said Hermosillo was denied entry when she attempted to get into the country using someone else's identity at the San Ysidro port of entry.

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/crime/ci_18783380

La Habra mother accused of throwing baby from parking structure appears in court

Posted: 09/30/2011

SANTA ANA - The defense for an accused of killing her infant son by throwing him from the fourth floor of a hospital parking structure argued Friday that she was not mentally competent to stand trial, officials said.
Sonia Hermosillo, 31, of La Habra is charged with murder and child abuse in connection with the Aug. 22 death of her 7-month-old son, Noe Medina Jr., at Children's Hospital of Orange County.

At an arraignment hearing Friday, she did not enter a plea, Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman Farrah Emami said.

"The defense indicated at the hearing today that they believe she is not mentally fit to assist in her own defense," Emami said.

A mental competency hearing was scheduled Nov. 18 in Santa Ana Superior Court.

Hermosillo was arrested several hours after the incident after police spotted her driving by the scene, officials said.

Noe Medina Jr. suffered from plagiocephaly, known as flat-head syndrome, in addition to congenital muscular torticollis which causes the head to twist to one side.

His mother reportedly suffered from severe post partum depression.

A motive in the killing has not been released.

Her husband, Noe Medina, has reportedly said he believed his wife never accepted their son because of his medical problems.



Read more: La Habra mother accused of throwing baby from parking structure appears in court - Whittier Daily News http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_19012927#ixzz1ZUxB6Lal

Mental competency hearing postponed for La Habra woman accused of killing infant son

Posted: 11/18/2011 01:26:11 PM PST

SANTA ANA - A mental competency hearing was postponed Friday for a La Habra woman accused of killing her infant son by throwing him from the fourth floor of an Orange County hospital parking structure in August.

The hearing, which will determine whether 31-year-old Sonia Hermosillo is mentally competent to stand trial, was rescheduled for Jan. 6 in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, Orange County District Attorney's officials said.

Hermosillo is charged with murder and child abuse for the Aug. 22 death of her 7-month-old son, Noe Medina Jr.

She is accused of taking her son up to the fourth floor of a parking structure at Children's Hospital Orange County, removing a helmet he wore because of a medical condition and throwing him off.

Hermosillo is yet to enter a plea in the case pending a ruling on her mental state. At a previous hearing, defense attorney's argues that she was not mentally capable of assisting in her own defense.

Hermosillo validated her parking before driving away from the hospital, then was arrested later in the day when investigating officers spotted her driving past the scene, officials said.

Noe Medina of La Habra, father of Noe Medina Jr. and husband of Hermosillo, has said his son suffered from two treatable medical conditions.

The infant was being treated for plagiocephaly, also known as flat-head syndrome, as well as toricollis - a condition which causes a twisting of the neck.

Hermosillo, who suffered from postpartum depression, never seemed to accept her son because of the medical problems, Noe Medina has said.
No official motive in the alleged murder has been released.



Read more: Mental competency hearing postponed for La Habra woman accused of killing infant son - Whittier Daily News http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ci_19366794?IADID=Search-www.whittierdailynews.com-www.whittierdailynews.com#ixzz1eLVKTnsu

http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/01/06/30680/mental-health-hearing-set-friday-oc-woman-who-toss/

Orange County woman Sonia Hermosillo, who allegedly intentionally dropped her 7-month-old baby boy from the roof of a fourth floor parking structure in August, has a mental health hearing scheduled for Friday morning.

Hermosillo, 31, has been charged with murder and child abuse for allegedly throwing her son off the parking garage at Children’s Hospital Orange County.

A court in Santa Ana appointed two psychologists to determine whether the La Habra woman is mentally fit to assist in her own defense. If they find she is not, she will go to a state mental hospital for treatment before returning to court.

Her husband and the father of the baby said Hermosillo suffered from severe postpartum depression.

"It's a tragic story," Scott Simmons, a senior deputy district attorney, told the Los Angeles Times in August. "I feel very sorry for the dad. It's a bad situation."

The baby was born with several medical disabilities, including one that required he wear a helmet to reshape his head and another that required regular physical therapy.

The child remained hospitalized for several days in critical condition, before finally dying from his injuries.

Hermosillo was found afterward to be a potential danger to herself and was placed on 24-hour suicide watch at Orange County Jail.

Hearing delayed for La Habra mother accused of killing baby

01/06/2012 03:41:26 PM PST

LA HABRA -- A hearing to determine whether a La Habra woman accused of killing her infant son last year by throwing him from the fourth floor of a parking structure was postponed Friday, officials said.

Sonia Hermosillo, 31, is charged with murder and child abuse in connection with the Aug. 22, 2011 incident at the Children's Hospital of Orange County in Orange.

She's accused of removing a protective helmet the baby wore because of a medical condition before tossing 7-month-old son, Noe Medina Jr., from the parking structure at the hospital. The infant died from his injuries two days later.

She was scheduled to appear in Santa Ana Superior Court for a mental competency hearing Friday, however the hearing was continued until Feb. 3, Orange County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Farrah Emami said.

The hearing was previously postponed Nov. 18, officials said.

While a motive in the case has not been officially released, Hermosillo's husband, Noe Medina, has said she suffered from postpartum depression and had difficulty accepting their son, who suffered from two treatable medical conditions.

The fatal fall occurred shortly after the baby's father reported the infant and wife missing, investigators said.

Hermosillo has not entered a plea to the charges pending a hearing to determine whether she's mentally fit to stand trial.

twitter.com/sgvcrime


http://www.whittierdailynews.com/crime/ci_19690290

Woman accused of killing infant son due in court

January 2, 2013 | 8:55 am

A woman accused of dropping her 7-month-old son from the fourth floor of a parking structure is due Wednesday in an Orange County courtroom.

Sonia Hermosillo, who has been charged with child assault and murder in the 2011 death of her son, is expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, her attorney, Jacqueline Goodman, told The Times last month.

A judge found Hermosillo competent to stand trial last year. Goodman said last month that Hermosillo, who she said suffers from "postpartum psychosis," remains “blissfully unaware of the fact that her infant son is dead.”

“She is confused,” Goodman said.

Hermosillo drove to Children’s Hospital of Orange County on Aug. 22, 2011, and parked her car on the fourth floor of a parking structure, according to prosecutors.

She is accused of removing a safety helmet her son wore for medical purposes and dropping the baby from the parking garage. She reportedly went inside the hospital and validated her parking ticket after the incident. The baby died two days later.

If convicted, Hermosillo faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/woman-accused-of-killing-infant-son-due-in-court.html