A trainee Catholic nun has pleaded
guilty to smothering her newborn after giving birth in her room at a
Washington, D.C. convent so no-one would hear him cry.
Sosefina
Amoa, 26, accepted a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter, punishable
by 30 years behind bars, after admitting she killed baby Joseph at
Little Sisters of the Poor convent on October 10.
The Samoan woman gave birth just five days after moving to the U.S. to
begin a five-month program to officially join the convent.
WUSA9 reported Amoa asked to be excused from her duties and went to her room on October 10. She delivered Joseph that morning.
Afraid
the nuns would hear the newborn's cries and discover she lied about
her sexual activity, Amoa allegedly covered the crying boy's mouth and nose with a wool garment for several minutes.
The young woman told police she didn't know what to
do, and was afraid that someone would learn of her
pregnancy.
When she removed the garment, the child had stopped breathing.
She 'wrapped the child in Samoan garb,
placed the child on her bed...remained in her room' until the next
morning, ABC7 reported, when she showed the infant to a sister at the convent.
According to BBC, Amoa told the nun she found the baby outside the convent and both women took the body in a black bag to the hospital.
Amoa was charged with first-degree
murder after the death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation. At the
incident, she told police she did not know she was pregnant.
According to the arrest warrant, she 'began Religious Formation, which included religious classes, doctrine, and prayer life'.
The woman was considered a postulant - someone who wants to be admitted to the order.
The Little Sisters of the Poor said in a statement they were praying for everyone involved.
'We
all feel this is a very tragic situation. We are just praying for
everyone involved. Now that it is in the hands of the legal system, we
will not be providing any further comment,' Sister Constance Veit said
in a statement.
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