FOX NEWS - A former Ohio high school cheerleader, who was acquitted Thursday of killing her unwanted newborn, was sentenced to probation Friday after she was convicted of burying the corpse in her family backyard.
Brooke Skylar Richardson, 20, was found not guilty of aggravated murder, involuntary murder and child endangerment in the May 2017 death of her newborn daughter.
RELATED: Ohio mom, 20, acquitted of killing newborn, convicted of corpse abuse
On Friday, a Warren County Judge ordered her to three years probation for the lesser charge of corpse abuse.
Judge Donald Oda II called it a "mandatory community control case" which requires at least placing the young woman on probation.
"What that means Ms. Richardson is because this is a felony of the fifth degree and you have no prior criminal record and you don't fit the other statutory criteria, the most I am required by law to place you on community control."
He continued: "That means the maximum I can sentence you to today, even though the maximum for this offense is 12 months in prison, the maximum I can sentence you to today is to six months of local incarceration."
Despite this, Oda sentenced her to three years of "basic supervision" and 7 days in a county jail, which she already had time-served for.
"Which means you're going to be going home today," Oda said.
"I firmly believe Ms. Richardson, in fact, I know in my heart that if you would have made different decisions in this case, Annabell would be here today," he said before sentencing … "I think that your choices before birth, during birth and after show a grotesque disregard for life."
Prosecutors had alleged that Richardson, a high school cheerleader, was informed by her doctor in April 2017 that she was pregnant and would be giving birth in a "matter of weeks." The then-18-year-old became extremely upset and told her doctor that she could not have the child and asked that she not tell anyone.
Days later, on May 7, she gave birth in the middle of the night. Prosecutors say she killed the baby and buried it in the backyard by a barbeque pit, disposing of all evidence.
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