RAVENNA, Ohio — 21-year-old Breyona Reddick was sentenced to at least 10 years in prison on Tuesday in connection with the death of a newborn baby who was found dead in a trash bag at Hiram College back in October of 2019.
Portage County Judge Becky Doherty issued the sentence, which she set at a minimum of 10 years. While Judge Doherty said that the presumption is that Reddick will be released after 10 years, she said that it will be up to the Ohio Department of Corrections to make that determination based on a number of factors, including her behavior while incarcerated. Judge Doherty set a maximum sentence of 15 years.
In April, Reddick pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the case in a deal in which counts of aggravated murder, child endangerment and tampering evidence were dismissed. The Portage County coroner has said the child was a boy and was born full-term, but prosecutors said defense lawyers were expected to argue at trial that the child was stillborn.
Hiram College officials have said Reddick had been a student at the school but was not enrolled when her baby was found.
The father of the deceased child read an impact statement at Tuesday's sentencing, stating that the death of his son had impacted him emotionally. A tearful Reddick also read a statement expressing remorse for her actions.
You can watch the full sentencing in the video player above.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated story on June 17, 2022.