Prom Baby Killer Set for Jail Release

A young woman who gave birth in a bathroom stall at her high school prom, then killed the infant before returning to the dance floor, is expected to be freed from prison this week despite prosecutors’ objections.

Melissa Drexler, 23, has served just over three years of the 15-year sentence she was given after pleading guilty in 1998 to aggravated manslaughter.

She is expected to be freed from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility on Monday.

“She did her time,” Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye said Saturday. “We received a notice of her impending parole a few months ago and put in an objection because we oppose early parole on general principles. But the likelihood of her constituting a threat to the public is minimal.”

As an 18-year-old senior at Lacey Township High School, Drexler concealed her pregnancy. She gave birth on June 6, 1997, in a restroom while at the prom and threw the 6-pound, 6-ounce boy into a trash can before returning to the dance.

Drexler took fashion courses in prison and hopes to work in the industry, said her lawyer, Steven Secare.

“She had an excellent record in prison,” he said. “She took advantage of just about anything they had to offer.”