COLUMBIA, Md. — A Columbia woman was found guilty in the death of her newborn child in 2018.
Moira Akers, 41, was found guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree child.
On November 1, 2018, Howard County Police were called to Howard County General Hospital after Akers had been taken from her home by paramedics.
While being taken to the hospital, Akers did not tell first responders about the birth of her newborn.
On November 2, 2018, an autopsy was done on Baby Akers and a report was issued in March of 2019 by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner which classified the death as a homicide.
The report stated the infant was a healthy, full-term baby and alive at birth. The cause of death was declared as asphyxiation and exposure.
“This was truly one of the most difficult cases my office has ever had to prosecute because we had the burden of proving the baby was born alive,” said State’s Attorney Rich Gibson. “Thanks to the great work of HCPD detectives, our prosecutors, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner and other experts, we were able to prove to a jury that the egregious and unconscionable actions of Ms. Akers ultimately led to the murder of her own child. After three and half years of working on this case, we are grateful the jury found Ms. Akers guilty of this heinous crime and we were able to obtain justice for Baby Akers.”
Akers will be sentenced on July 29, 2022. She could face up to life in prison.
