Mom stabs newborn multiple times, then slits his throat and tosses the body into a dog food bag

Chloe Coplen-Anderson, a 17-year-old mom from Nebraska faces a sentence of 20 years to life in prison after pleading no contest to the murder of her newborn son, a crime marked by shocking details.

Sheridan County Attorney Jamian Simmons confirmed that Coplen-Anderson was found guilty of second-degree murder on Tuesday as part of a plea agreement.

Originally, she was charged with premeditated first-degree murder, committed in the course of felony child abuse and with the use of a deadly weapon—a knife.

The gruesome incident came to light on November 6, 2023, when the Gordon Police Department responded to the teen’s home after her parents discovered a blood-soaked scene in her bedroom.

The newborn’s body was found in a closet, hidden inside a plastic dog food bag and covered with clothes. Coplen-Anderson, who was 16 at the time, had left the house to go to the store after committing the crime.

According to reports, Coplen-Anderson’s father initially believed the baby had been stillborn, but her mother, upon seeing the horrific scene, told responding officers that her daughter had “hurt” the baby, pointing out visible marks on the body.

Authorities later confirmed that the newborn had been stabbed multiple times, and the throat had been slashed.

Earlier that day, Coplen-Anderson’s parents had noticed her taking a knife from a kitchen drawer. When she returned from the store and was confronted by her mother, she admitted that the baby was dead and that she had killed “it.”

Following her arrest, prosecutors sought to charge Coplen-Anderson as an adult. Now that she has been found guilty as an adult, she faces a minimum of 20 years in prison, with the possibility of life imprisonment.

However, the plea agreement suggests that prosecutors are not seeking the maximum sentence, meaning she could be released from prison in her late thirties.

Under Nebraska law, second-degree murder is defined as causing the death of a person intentionally but without premeditation.

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Coplen-Anderson is scheduled to appear in court on October 15, likely to set a date for sentencing.