Maine Mother Convicted Of Murdering Her 7-Week-Old Baby, Tried To Pin It On Her Autistic Sons

A Maine mother has been convicted of manslaughter after the mysterious death of her 7-week-old baby in January. Miranda Hopkins, 32, originally tried to pin the murder on her two autistic sons.

Hopkins is still denying murdering her son, Jaxson, almost 10 months ago. The mother took the stand in her own defense earlier this week and claimed she did not know how her baby died that day.

According to her testimony, Hopkins stated she woke up after blacking out on January 11 and found her 7-week-old son “beat to hell” next to her on another son’s bed. She had several shots of whiskey and smoked marijuana before passing out, and claimed one of her two autistic sons must have been the culprit.

The other boys, ages 6 and 8, have been described as “profoundly autistic” and “nonverbal,” according to the Bangor Daily News. On the night of the murder, it was stated the other boys needed to cross over a three-foot-tall baby gate in order to get to Jaxson.

Although Hopkins admitted she never saw her other sons come near Jaxson, she still ended up pointing the finger at them. The mother remembered Jaxson being asleep in a baby chair, which meant the two boys had to cross over the gate, take him out of the chair, beat him, and then place him next to their sleeping mother.

However, Hopkins changed her story several times on Jaxson’s location when she passed out. Her first story to police claimed he was sleeping next to her on the bed, and later she admitted he was asleep in his bouncy chair a room away. Throughout the whole ordeal, Hopkins claims to never have heard a sound from Jaxson or her other boys.

The medical examiner determined Jaxson died of blunt force injuries, including skull fractures, 15 broken ribs, and a broken right arm.

The jury reached a verdict after several hours of deliberations and admitted to having a difficult time coming to a decision. According to the Kennebec Journal, deliberations began around 11 a.m. and ended just before 8 p.m. with one break for dinner.

Miranda Hopkins was emotional as she entered no plea to one count of murder. She's accused of killing her 7 wk old baby. pic.twitter.com/rPxzUL7p81

— Marissa Bodnar (@MarissaWGME) January 17, 2017

Hopkins and her lawyer, Chris MacLean, maintained her innocence throughout the trial, while family and friends also claim she would never commit such a heinous act.

District Attorney Leane Zainea claimed the state did not feel Hopkins murdered her son intentionally but was criminally negligent, and ultimately responsible, for the death of Jaxson.

Hopkins will be sentenced on December 13 and could face up to 30 years in prison. She is currently being held on $50,000 bail. She still has the option to appeal.

Do you think Hopkins intentionally murdered her son, or where her other boys to blame?

[Featured Image by Waldo County Jail]