Spring Valley
A Spring Valley woman convicted of practicing medicine without a license after the death of an infant she delivered as a midwife was set free Monday after serving more than six months of a one-year jail term.
Rosanna Walker, 35, had her sentence reduced by San Diego Superior Court Judge Kenneth A. Johns following a recommendation by the San Diego County Probation Department.
After her sentence was reduced, Walker said she wished she had never agreed to a plea bargain, which reduced her charge from involuntary manslaughter to practicing medicine without a license. The conviction centered on the March 19, 1982, death of Devin Deutsch, whose birth was filmed with consent of the mother, Reena Deutsch.
The film was later used against Walker as evidence.
“I regret the day I agreed to the plea bargaining because if I had gone to trial, I would have won,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“There are a lot of things I want to do now that I’m free. I want to help legalized midwifery in California and bring it to the attention of the public.”
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