NEWBORN BABY BOY - at birth / Accused: Mother; Angela Lightcap - Greenwich Township PA

Teen girl charged in death of her newborn
Updated at 06:19 PM today

GREENWICH TWP., Pa. - April 24, 2012 (WPVI) -- A teenage girl from Berks County is charged with homicide in connection with the death of her newborn baby.

The Berks County District Attorney said 16-year-old Angela Lightcap, of Greenwich Township, was apparently able to hide the fact she was pregnant up until the day she gave birth.

"It was full term baby, and I'm certain there was a family out there that would have loved to adopt this child. It's troubling, to say the least," said D.A. John Adams

Investigators say the baby drowned in a bathtub inside Lightcap's family home in Creek Road back on January 9th. Police became aware of the situation when Lightcap allegedly went to the hospital for excessive bleeding after improperly cutting the umbilical cord with a pair of household scissors.

A nurse at Lehigh Valley Hospital notified police that the Kutztown High School junior had clearly given birth a short time earlier.

"State police investigated this matter. They went to the home, they searched the home, and found a deceased young male in a trash can," said Adams.

Investigators say it seems no one was aware of the pregnancy except for Lightcap and her ex-boyfriend, who was the father.

There was no answer when Action News went to Lightcap's home on Tuesday. However, Action News was able to speak to some of her classmates and friends at Kutztown High who say they simply cannot believe the story is true.

"She's a really sweet girl, she's really nice. I just never would have thought of anything like this," said classmate Codey Lance.

While Lightcap is being charged in a juvenile detention center, she is being charged as an adult with homicide and concealing the death of a child.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8634426

Berks County teen waives hearing on death of newborn

By Lynn A. Gladieux For Journal Register News Service
Posted: 05/11/12 09:01 am

A Berks County teen mother accused of drowning her baby in the family bathtub is headed to court.

Angela A. Lightcap, 16, of the 100 block of Creek Road in Greenwhich, waived her May 8 preliminary hearing before Judge Kim Bagenstose, Hamburg. She is currently being held in the Berks County Youth Detention Center.

Lightcap was arrested on March 5 and charged with criminal homicide after the Jan. 9 drowning death of her newborn. In addition to the criminal homicide charge, she is also charged with concealing the death of a child. Lightcap will face charges as an adult.

According to court documents:

On Jan. 9 at approximately 9 a.m., Lightcap gave birth to a baby boy in the bathroom of her home. After cutting the umbilical cord with kitchen shears, she cleaned the bathroom and got into the bathtub to clean herself and the baby.

Shortly after getting out of the tub she noticed the baby was no longer breathing and carried him into her bedroom where she wrapped him in a bed sheet and placed him in a trash can.

At about 5 p.m., Lightcap, who had hidden her pregnancy, was transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital for vaginal bleeding. There, staff suspected she was concealing the birth of a child and called police.

Lightcap at first denied the pregnancy until confronted with the umbilical cord, which was still attached. She then told staff that she had a miscarriage and flushed the baby down the toilet.

A nurse at the hospital told officers that the baby was too large to be flushed and a search of the residence should be conducted.

Officer Frank Debellis searched Lightcap’s bedroom and found the baby boy wrapped in a plastic bag in a trash can. The baby was pronounced dead early the next morning by Berks County Coroner Kurt Katzenmoyer.

Dr. Supriya Kuruvilla, a Reading pathologist, determined the cause of death was drowning.

http://www.timesherald.com/article/20120511/NEWS01/120519913/-1/NEWS/berks-county-teen-waives-hearing-on-death-of-newborn

Originally Published: 8/7/2012
Teenager sentenced for drowning infant son
16-year-old ordered to Carlisle facility for indefinite term of supervised treatment

Holly Herman
Reading Eagle


A Greenwich Township teenager was ordered Monday in Berks County Juvenile Court to be placed indefinitely in a Cumberland County residential treatment facility for the Jan. 9 death of her newborn son, who drowned in a bathtub.

Angela Lightcap, 16, of the 100 block of Creek Road pleaded guilty July 12 to third-degree murder in the death of her 7-pound baby, Benjamin.

Investigations said Lightcap initially denied giving birth, stating she had a miscarriage and flushed the fetus down the toilet.

She wrapped the infant in a bed sheet and put him in a trash can, police said.

Lightcap said what she did was wrong.

"I know how bad this seems, but nobody realizes there are two victims here, me and my son," she said. "I take accountability for what I did."

Lightcap asked Judge Scott E. Lash to allow her to go home and obtain counseling.

Lash agreed to a request from prosecutors and probation officials to place Lightcap in Alternative Rehabilitation Communities Inc., Gloria Zimmerman Memorial Home, a treatment facility for women in Carlisle.

Lightcap was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.

Assistant District Attorney Catherine J. Nadirov said Lightcap will be under supervision until she is 21 and will have periodic reviews of her placement.

"There is no suitable resolution, but this is the best program for her," Nadirov said. "This is a murder of the third-degree. She admitted killing Benjamin."

Lash imposed the sentence requested by prosecutors.

The judge acknowledged that Lightcap has done everything required of her since her arrest. However, he said, she must held accountable.

"This charge is very serious," Lash said. "This is the murder of a baby who was defenseless. This is a loss of life that can never be recovered."

Lightcap's lawyer, Public Defender Glenn D. Welsh, requested an outpatient placement instead of residential treatment. He said she is remorseful.

Welsh said the experts have recommended Lightcap receive outpatient treatment.

Welsh said Lightcap has received counseling at Abraxas, New Morgan, where she has been detained for the past five months.

"She has been getting anger-management counseling," Welsh said,

Lightcap, who concealed her pregnancy, gave birth to a healthy boy, according to court records. She cut the umbilical cord with scissors and put him in a bathtub while she washed herself and him, causing him to drown.

Contact Holly Herman: 610-478-6291 or hherman@readingeagle.com.
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=406668