Posted on 01/30/2003 7:29:00 AM PST by Cagey
Kenosha - A high school senior accused of dumping his newborn son in a portable toilet apologized for trying to kill the baby but said he threw the infant away because he didn't want the child, a detective testified Wednesday.
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Gabriel Estrada, 18, was bound over for trial following a preliminary hearing Wednesday. Charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, Estrada remains in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail.
In a written statement he gave to Kenosha County Sheriff's Detective Scott Stanek, Estrada said he thought the baby would be found in two or three days, and it would be dead by then.
"I'm sorry for what I did, but I had no choice because I didn't want the baby," Stanek read from Estrada's statement.
The infant boy, dubbed Baby O in court records, is in foster care. Kenosha County District Attorney Robert Jambois said Wednesday he thought the child had been released from Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, which is not releasing information about the baby.
According to the criminal complaint, just hours after the baby was born on Jan. 13, Estrada argued with the child's 17-year-old mother over what to do with the baby, then grabbed the infant and drove around for a while before deciding to leave the baby for dead in the toilet at West Side Park in Twin Lakes.
A short while later, a father and his son who had been in the park heard noises from the restroom and summoned police. Officers found the baby in a tote bag at the bottom of the pit.
The next day, authorities received an anonymous call about a Wilmot High School senior who had been pregnant and had missed school the day before. On Jan. 14, she was no longer pregnant.
Stanek said the girl at first denied she was pregnant but later told detectives her boyfriend was Estrada. Estrada also initially denied that the girl was pregnant.
In interviews at Wilmot High School, however, the girl eventually admitted the baby abandoned in the toilet was hers and that she had asked Estrada to take the baby to a church, Stanek said.
Then Estrada confessed to officials that he argued with the girl over what to do with the baby before taking him and driving to the park, Stanek said.
"He said, 'Since you know what happened already, there's no sense in hiding it,' " Stanek testified.
Estrada didn't ask about the welfare of the baby, but Stanek told him the child was alive. Shortly after giving the statement, Estrada was arrested at the school.
Twin Lakes Police Officer Randall Prudik found the baby inside a blue canvas bag that was lying on its side inside the toilet in 21/2 inches of blue disinfectant fluid. Shining his flashlight into the toilet, "it was at that time I heard a muffled cry," Prudik testified.
When he pulled out the bag, a yellow towel soaked with disinfectant - which had turned the towel green - fell out and he saw the baby's right leg, Prudik said.
Prudik said the outside temperature was between 15 and 20 degrees when he found the infant. The boy was placed in a blanket and taken to a hospital. Last week, Jambois said the baby apparently had suffered no long-term effects from the ordeal.
Arraignment for Estrada, who sat quietly next to his attorney and didn't speak during Wednesday's preliminary hearing, is scheduled for Feb. 12.
Excuse me, but KEEP YOUR F****** PANTS ZIPPED UP FROM NOW UNTIL YOU ARE F****** MARRIED !!!!
Perhaps "Daddy" needs to spend some time immersed in porta john disenfectant.
We are fighting so many problems in the USA that we have to pick the messages we deliver to these youth. Sexual sin is one of the most easy to understand and probably the most prevalent. And the best way for a youth like this boy to overcome sexual sin is not to be on the receiving end of anger but to observe and life with the consequences of his sin -- e.g., supporting the child or marrying the mother.
I'm in a soft-hearted mood this morning so PLEASE don't take this short reply as criticism of you. It's just that I am realizing more and more that dictatorial approaches to young men and women who have been raised in the worst of our culture will never work. They have to make their mistakes and live with the consequences. It's frustrating for us tradionalists because the answers are so clear but a youth like this has had 17 years of the death culture rammed down his throat, and probably a broken home to boot. I was liberal once. Peer and media influences are hard to shake. 24/7 saturation by MTV, public schools, abortion rights, and the absence of a man to show him what a man should be could be enough to make a youth do something incredibly stupid.
This Estrada youth may have had the best experience of his life because after he serves his time he might become an excellent father -- by the grace of God, his child lived after all! He knows he made major league stupid mistakes and rather than getting beat up emotionally he needs some pastoring by a good Christian through a prison ministry.
Just some morning thoughts ...
And some very good morning thoughts. Thanks for them.
I recall what Jesus said: Do not repay evil with evil.
I have always taken that to mean that no matter what, Love is always -- always -- stronger than evil.
I know this may sound to some like "mushy-headed thinking", but I agree that what this Estrada kid needs is not condemnation. Rather, what he needs is some Love.
The kind of Love that Jesus showed the woman who was caught in adultery. The kind of love that does not excuse the evil that he has done. And the kind of love that transforms his heart from the sort that would kill his only son to the kind that shows the Love of God's only Son.
I'm sure that Estada faces time in jail. My hope and my prayert is that while he is there, he encounters -- from someone -- some of the transforming love of Jesus Christ.
Otherwise, Satan wins all around in this unhappy case.
In I understand your fury at the boy, and for heaven's sake I am no liberal apologist, but the message to be delivered in anger, and then in love, is that "all human life is sacred."
All life is sacred. Agree. Notice how abortion has become a "de-facto" method of birth control?
We are fighting so many problems in the USA that we have to pick ...
There is a tie-in here. Notice the boy (and the girl to less extent) didn't want to accept responsibility for their actions, so the baby pays. Right now, he is only sorry for being caught. BTW, what issue does these statements remind you of?
I'm in a soft-hearted mood this morning so PLEASE don't take this ...
No criticism taken. This isn't DU. Here is where I disagree with you. This behaviour is not more common (IMO) today versus 30-50 years ago, but it is much more ACCEPTED now. We have lost concept of family, morals, and right/wrong in certain segments of our society; unless that is restored, we are doomed. I am more of an absolute personality and if this was my son, what I would do to him can't be mentioned here (my father would have done the same to me). I think the hard-line approach is best; the soft-line approach has put the country in this mess.
This Estrada youth may have had the best experience of his life because after he serves his time ...
I agree with you, but I don't like the odds of it working out that way.
Did this kid skip all the "pro-choice" education at school?
Amen to that chs68. Have you ever worked in a prison ministry? It is not the domain of a young man because the emotional impact is severe in both directions but the work is incredibly fulfilling. I haven't done it myself but I know I am called to do it someday -- my children (9, 7, and 3) still need my evenings. But given that I have a Hispanic surname (but am American to the last drop of my blood) I've always felt that I would be someone these messed-up Hispanic youths could look up to. Comments?
There probably is no real way of telling if discarding newborn children was as common 30-50 years ago as it is today without some real serious research. However, I totally agree with your point of it being so much more accepted now and I'm convinced that abortion is the leading cause of that philosophy. Stories like this one seem to pop up fairly often anymore and quickly fade away.
I'm not saying legalized abortion is the only reason, but in my opinion it is the leading reason.
The fact is that young Estrada was a dumbshit and an idiot and maybe you want to slap him silly but as of today he might be wiser and penitent and on the road to recovery. What we Freepers need to remember is to tone down the moral outrage -- Estrada has gotten enough of that, the message has been delivered -- and now lead him to becoming one of the finest young men in Milwaukee.
He has a chance. He's only 17. He's alive and his baby is alive and he's received the lesson of a lifetime. It's our duty as Americans to not give up on him, and it's my duty as a Christian (yours, too, if you profess to be a believer) to recognize that he is one of God's children, and God will forgive any sin if the sinner repents and confesses his faith. And, to recognize that sins as egregious as Estrada's have often been the springboard to great accomplishments and tremendous strength of character in adult men.
And in case you miss the subtlety of what I said earlier, you're right -- Estrada did not get the firm discipline and rearing that he should have received, otherwise he wouldn't have been banging the young lass and wouldn't have devalued the result of their dalliances. But for this fellow, the past is past. He should get today not what he didn't get as a 12-year old but what will make him a better man for the rest of his life.
Last I heard the girl in this case is petitioning the court for this child back.
University of Georgia Red and Black
Abortion is a good form of birth control
Published , January 29, 2003, 12:00:01 PM EDT
Opinions
I knew this year would be a big year for abortion debate, with Roe v. Wade turning 30.
Generally, there are certain factors that motivate someone to be pro-life; first, the person might be very religious.
I suppose I can forgive religious arguments for pro-life, because believers have a moral system that delegates what is right from wrong, so they need to follow it.
The other people who are pro-life are generally either financially privileged or spoiled, so a child may not affects them as much.
These people generally make the argument, "If you're not ready for a child, you shouldn't be having sex." How ridiculous.
Are only the advantaged to be allowed to have sex?
That's just a little bit prejudiced and elitist if you ask me. I say, if you can't handle an abortion, don't have sex.
You see, death is an inevitable part of life and does happen during pregnancies.
We who are pro-choice are generally that way due to very particular experiences, which are often something the pro-lifers lack.
Pro-choice folks often have dealt with rough financial hardship in the past and/or understand the extreme psychological burden of pregnancy and child rearing.
While anyone who gets pregnant will surely be afraid, some pregnancies will inevitably create more anxiety than others.
Guys haven't felt fear until they've had sex with a girl, and she gets pregnant because she's purposefully not been taking her pills in order to get pregnant.
Girls haven't felt fear until they get pregnant because their boyfriend "just didn't feel like wearing a condom," and then says, "no, I won't help with the baby."
People don't like to think about such things, though.
My dream is to be a writer, and to be perfectly honest, I'd kill almost any one who got in the way of my dreams.
Likewise, having children can destroy a person's life dreams.
Even sadder than the death of a fetus is a life that is lived miserably, a life without meaning, a life without even the essence of real life.
I've seen such lives in the eyes of young people who thought they could handle it, who could juggle their lives and the life of another. Sure, there are some success stories, but that's only because nobody wants to publicize the sad stories of those who did "the right thing" and are miserable for it.
I've heard about the "sanctity of life" constantly. The sanctity of life is a very broad term, and people tend to use it as a buzzword when it serves their purposes.
Though it may be selfish, I value the sanctity of my own life first.
People are going to have sex; we have the urges that are certainly hard to control.
Stuff happens, and things may not turn out the way you we want them to.
You face one of the most difficult decisions of your life. But in the end, it's none of anyone else's business what you choose to do.
-- Greg Woods is a senior in English.
He has a chance. He's only 17. He's alive and his baby is alive and he's received the lesson of a lifetime. ...
Thank goodness the baby survived, but think of all the babies tossed in dumpsters, left-out in the cold, etc. who didn't survive. This occurs to a point where it isn't breaking news anymore. Now that these abandoned children are having (and abandoning) their own children, this battle is lost until we defeat the liberal, feel-good crap that is a fundamental reason behind it.
You optimist -- me pessimist...
I am a lay person, but my calling is to minister to those in the hospital -- the sick, the dying, the grieving, and the medical staff.
I found this calling after discussing it with the senior pastor at my church.
Adoption gives everyone a chance
In regards to Greg Woods' column ("Abortion is a good form of birth control," Jan. 29), I do not wish to personally attack you, just your very limited and selfish view on life.
I find it hard to believe that you really understand what abortion is because you are able to say that you find it acceptable to kill an innocent child so that you will be able to satisfy your sexual urges.
You dismiss and even scoff at the idea of abstinence as if it is impossible.
Yet thousands of people choose to practice it every day.
It is hard to swallow that you deem sex more important than life.
You mention the girls whose lives are destroyed by having children at an early age, but make no note of the thousands of children who live wonderful lives in adoptive families and of the numerous birth mothers that choose to give their children not just life, but a good life.
I am one of seven children; my youngest brother and sister are adopted.
I cannot imagine what my life would be like had their birth mothers decided to take an easy route out of their mistakes by aborting.
Every life is sacred, Greg, not just yours.
MEGAN SLABODA
Sophomore, Athens
Nursing
Woods should give abstinence a try
In response to Greg Woods' column ("Abortion is a good form of birth control," Jan. 29), I'd like to say life is a sacred gift.
We have become a society of instant gratification: if we want sex, we have it. People do not think of the consequences of their actions.
Responsibility no longer seems to be a concern.
The statement "People are going to have sex; we have the urges which are certainly hard to control" certainly proves this.
To you, I say try harder to control the urge. It is possible.
People must consider the consequences for their actions. The inability to do so proves that they are a risk to society.
GREG VALLEY
Freshman, Dunwoody Secondary Social Studies Education
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