Release Denied for Girl, 16, Held in Death of Her Baby

A 16-year-old Fullerton girl charged with murder in the death of her newborn son was refused release Monday after a Juvenile Court official ruled that she needs continued supervision.

Court Referee Betty J. Farrell ordered Juana Hernandez Lopez, who was 15 when police found the body of her infant son in a trash dumpster earlier this month, to remain in Juvenile Hall until her trial, now scheduled for Nov. 5.

After Lopez entered a not-guilty plea, Farrell heard arguments from the prosecutor and the county Probation Department in favor of the girl’s detention.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Charles Middleton said release should be denied because Lopez, who emigrated from Mexico in 1984, “still is a Mexican citizen” and might flee the country to avoid prosecution.

Alleges Risk to Other Son

Middleton also argued that Lopez poses a risk to her 1-year-old son, who remains in the care of her parents.

“But the Probation Department argued that since she already has a 1-year-old baby, that she is in dire need of (adult) supervision and should remain in custody,” he said.

According to investigators, the girl’s full-term baby boy, delivered while she was alone at her parents’ home Oct. 9, was alive when she wrapped him in a plastic bag and abandoned him in a nearby dumpster.

Three days later, after being tipped by an unidentified caller, police went to question Lopez at her home. She later took the officers to the dumpster where the body was found.

Lopez had enrolled as a seventh-grade student at Ladera Vista Junior High School in 1984 but dropped out when she became pregnant with her first child.

Held No Threat to Herself

Lopez’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Laureen Gray took exception to a prosecution contention that her client was a threat to herself.

“She’s clearly emotionally upset, but she hasn’t threatened suicide,” Gray said.

Lopez’s father, who was in court Monday, wanted the girl to come home because “he felt it was important for her to be close to her baby and her baby be close to his mother,” Gray said.

The identity of the second baby’s father remains unknown, Middleton said.

Since Lopez was 15 at the time of the infant’s death, she cannot be tried as an adult. If convicted, she can be ordered into the custody of the California Youth Authority and be held by that agency until she reaches the age of 25.