Newborn Twin Deaths Prompt Guilty Verdict For Tennessee Mom

In Tennessee, a murder trial centering around newborn twin deaths and the mental state of the woman who gave birth to them has resulted in the conviction of 26-year-old Lindsay Lowe.

The newborn twin deaths were discovered days after Lowe gave birth to the baby boys in an upstairs bedroom at her parents’ home in suburban Nashville on September 12, 2011, leading to several felony charges for Lowe including first degree felony murder, first degree premeditated murder, and aggravated child abuse.

What happened both then and next that led to the newborn twin deaths remains a mystery — family and friends of Lowe repeatedly took the stand to explain that the woman, who gave birth alone and undetected in her family home, was part of a bridal party just days before the delivery and changed clothes in front of several female friends and family members with no indication she was nearing the end of a pregnancy.

While prosecutors argued Lowe was cognizant and aware of her actions and culpability in the newborn twin deaths, witnesses for the defendant argued otherwise. A psychiatrist testified that statements from Lowe after the bodies were discovered by family and then police in a laundry basket were not credible, as the mother was clearly in denial about what had occurred.

A local news source reports:

“Attorneys for 26-year-old Lowe contended those actions prove she was in denial about being pregnant. A psychiatrist testified that Lowe was delusional when she gave birth … He claimed that things only began to set in for Lowe when she was brought in for questioning two days later, and pointed out that she answered ‘I guess’ 35 times and ‘I don’t know’ several times during the interview with police.”

Both baby boys were smothered to death in their first moments of life, and detectives tearfully recounting discovering the babies’ lifeless bodies in among bloody laundry, still attached to a single placenta.

Lowe admitted strangling the newborn twins, but says that her sole thought was keeping the infants quiet so her parents would not discover them.

In the newborn twins’ death, Lindsay Lowe was found guilty Tuesday on two counts of felony first degree murder, felony premeditated murder and aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to life in prison on the murder counts.