Doc Says Mother ‘Not Responsible’ for Infant’s Death

By D.C. Witness Staff - November 15, 2018
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During a trial readiness hearing Nov. 14, defense counsel told the court that a medical report said a mother was “not responsible” for the 2013 homicide of her son.

Lillian Alvarado is charged with first-degree murder and child cruelty in connection to the death of her newborn son, who was found dismembered in an apartment bathtub on the 6400 block of 14th Street, NW.

In the report, a medical professional from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital, said Alvarado, 26, was not conscious of her actions.

As a result, the prosecution offered a plea agreement, which would allow Alvarado to plead guilty by reason of insanity to second-degree murder. However, the defense objected to the details of the plea, which contradicted the report’s findings, because second-degree murder implies Alvarado was conscious of her actions.

According to court documents, the infant was discovered after neighbors in the apartment below reported bloody water leaking from their ceiling. During the investigation, police found the infant’s legs in a toilet.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported that the newborn did not display birth defects that contributed to his death. Instead, the medical examiner said liquid was found in the infant’s lungs and there were visible signs of asphyxiation including “red purple markings” on the front and back of the infant’s neck.

DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee scheduled a status hearing on Nov. 16 and said he expects a decision on the plea at that time.