Mother Accused of Strangling, Drowning, and Dismembering Newborn Baby
WASHINGTON - Lillian Alvarado, 24, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on murder and other charges in the 2013 death of her infant son, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
The grand jury indicted Alvarado on charges of first-degree (premeditated) murder while armed, with aggravating circumstances; first-degree felony murder while armed, also with aggravating circumstances, and first-degree cruelty to children. The aggravating circumstances allege that the crime was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel and that the victim was especially vulnerable. The charges carry a potential sentence of life in prison with no possibility of release. Alvarado is to be arraigned on Nov. 4, 2016, by the Honorable Milton C. Lee.
No trial date has been scheduled. Alvarado, who was arrested in this case in January 2014 by the Metropolitan Police Department, remains held without bond.
According to the government’s evidence, on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 2013, Alvarado delivered her infant in the bathtub of her family’s apartment in the 6000 block of 14th Street NW. She had not told her family that she was pregnant. The baby boy was born alive; however, Alvarado allegedly strangled the baby, tried to drown the infant, and cut off his legs. The District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the infant died from asphyxiation and dismemberment. Alvarado allegedly tried to conceal the crime.
The baby’s death was discovered when bloody water leaked from Alvarado’s bathroom through to the apartment below. Law enforcement officers responded, believing they were searching for a water leak. With the assistance of Alvarado’s family, officers gained entrance to the bathroom, where they found the infant in the bathtub.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Phillips expressed appreciation for the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who have assisted with the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Coleman, Colleen Kennedy, Cynthia Walicki-Chan, and Michael Tomaselli; Victim/Witness Specialist Marcia Rinker, and Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Cynthia Mohammed. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
