The Case Against Brooke Skylar Richardson

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0:42Investigators were tipped off about the possible remains buried in the back of this house here behind me. Brooke Schuyler Richardson had a promising future. The prosecutor says she gave birth in the family home and then killed her baby. Is there a way to describe this past year? The worst nightmare. Purgatory. Every day. The Carlisle teen is charged with killing her newborn baby. I can tell you that Brooke, Skylar Richardson, did not kill her baby. I don't know when it hit me, but I was a grandmother and I never had any of the benefits of it. our lives have been completely turned upside down. What was the reaction to this story?

1:31How big did this become? I felt like Super Bowl level. It was like the world stopped. Everyone wanted to know what was going on in our backyard and what had happened. The sidewalk was lined with people sitting in lawn chairs. Oh, you're serious, right? Out here? Out here.

1:56We have no privacy. We're followed, stalked. Facebook, to me, turned into hate book. I did not know she was pregnant. Here's her track photo. This was track season in April. And you can't tell. I mean, we missed everything. Seriously, we missed everything.

2:20We thought we were doing the right thing by cooperating. I do not try and kill my baby yet. That turned out to be the absolute wrong thing. She faces charges of aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter, endangering children. Are you scared? I'm very scared. I mean, we're scared to death talking to you because we don't want things to come across wrong. This is the case of the state of Ohio versus Brooks-Kyland Richardson. The defendant, Brooke Richardson, murdered a baby that she didn't want and never intended to keep. This case is about a rush to judgment. She had a stillborn, and she made a poor choice after that.

3:07Not telling anyone and burying the baby. Court has been advised that we have a verdict. Are we ready for the jury? Yes, sir. Would the defendant please rise? What's your biggest fear at this point? guilty conviction.

3:33This is the case of the state of Ohio versus Brooke Schuyler Richardson, case number 2017. Nothing has polarized Ohio's Warren County more than the trial of Brooke Schuyler Richardson. Do you feel that Schuyler's ever gotten the presumption of innocence? Absolutely not. Now 20 years old, Brooke, known as Skylar, is accused of killing her newborn daughter. If convicted, she could spend the rest of her life in prison. It's just changed our lives forever. For more than a year, Skylar's parents, Kim and Scott Richardson, gave us unique access to their story. But on the advice of their lawyers, Skylar couldn't talk to us.

4:20It's so hard. to be living like this, thinking, but what if? A lot of what ifs. A lot of what ifs.

4:34In 2017, the Richardsons were living the good life in Carlisle, Ohio. Population, 5 ,000. It's Mayberry. Small town, USA. It's so small town, most people don't leave. Their kids excelled in school and sports. Son Jackson plays on the football team. Skyler was a cheerleader. But behind the smiling photographs, the family was struggling with a serious issue. Skyler's eating disorder. How much do you think her weight and eating ruled her life? Oh, 95%. That is her life. This is her at a very scary point. Oh, my gosh. Kim says she first noticed a problem when her cheerleader daughter was in the sixth grade.

5:30Twelve years old, she wouldn't buy gum because it had five calories. I didn't even know gum had calories. She was so tiny. She was a perfect flyer. You do a stunt in the air, or you hold a very difficult stretching pose for a few seconds, and then come back down to the ground. But it also meant she had to be easy to lift and catch. Kim says it was the beginning of Skylar's battle with her weight. How would she lose the weight? She would throw up. And when cheerleading was over for the season, Skylar would binge, then starve again. Did you get afraid to even talk about her weight? Absolutely. She definitely would shut down if you mentioned it to her.

6:22The Richardson's say they tried everything. Doctors, therapists, nutritionists. Skyler was diagnosed with body dysmorphia, a mental disorder involving an obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance. Nothing helped. She's very guarded. Keep a lot of secrets? Yes. So many. And we don't know what they are. And I don't know that we ever will. In late July 2016, the summer before her senior year, Skyler began dating a friend's cousin. The relationship ended quickly, and by January 2017, Skyler had a new boyfriend, a high school junior named Brandon. Why did those two click? What is it? I don't know, because she's this tall and he's that tall.

7:19Skyler was happy. She even seemed to be putting on some weight. Kim and Scott hoped their daughter's eating disorder was finally under control. We were actually pleased that she was finally gaining some weight. She looked healthy. A month later, she eagerly picked out her prom dress. And it was a tight-fitting dress that she needed to be laced up in. And then in late March, Skylar went on vacation with her family. She wore a two-piece. I told her she looked great. I mean, for the first time in my life, I thought she's healthy. She's in a healthy relationship. She really cares about Brandon. I could tell that she did.

7:58Kim knew Skylar's relationship with Brandon was heating up. That's why I wanted her to be on the pill. So in late April, Skylar went to her mother's gynecologist to get a prescription for birth control. She had just turned 18, so Kim waited outside. She came out. She had clearly been crying. Did you ask her why she was crying? It was traumatic. She goes, your first appointment is. And I'm like, yeah, it is, as a female. The real reason for the tears? The doctor had told Skylar she was pregnant eight months. She asked him not to tell anyone. She never said anything to either one of you about what the doctor told her?

8:44No. Nine days later, on May 5th, Skylar and Brandon went to the prom. Despite being late into her pregnancy, she fit into her gown. She's wearing the same dress that she had tried on in February. Purchased February 15th. I have side by side put the pictures together, and I look at the pictures and I'm like, they're almost identical. They're identical. But less than 48 hours later, in the early morning hours of May 7th, something happened that turned the Richardson's life upside down. It remained Skyler's secret for more than two months when police suddenly showed up at the Richardson's home. And they said, hey, we just need to talk to your daughter about something she may have witnessed.

9:36She's not in any trouble. We just need to talk to her. Taking them at their word, Scott drove his daughter to the police station. I mean, honestly, I can look back. That's the biggest mistake I've made in my entire life.

10:13On July 14, 2017, when Scott Richardson drove his daughter Skyler to the Carlisle police station, he had no idea that she had been keeping a secret. If she's going in to talk to the police, do you know what it's about? No, I have no idea. Lieutenant John Fane, who at the time was with the Warren County Sheriff's Office, wanted to question 18-year-old Skyler about a call they'd received. There's an allegation from an OBGYN office that a patient there had delivered a baby at home, subsequently buried her in her backyard.

10:54Skylar was put in an interrogation room. Her father wasn't allowed in with her. You have the right to remain silent. As Faye read Skylar her rights. You have the right to talk to Laurie. And then began pressing her. A camera was recording everything. We got a call from the doctor's office. Okay. And according to them, on April 26, you found out you were pregnant. Remember, that was the same day Skylar went to see the gynecologist about getting birth control pills. More than two months later, she returned. You went back to that doctor's office? And I told her what had happened. That I had to have a baby and it wasn't alive.

11:36I didn't kill the doll.

11:41Skyler told investigators that in the early morning hours of May 7, 2017, she gave birth to a stillborn baby in her bathroom. She just kind of came out and I tried. I tried. I tried to hold her and she's breathing. She doesn't have a heartbeat. So now, what do you do when you realize that she's not going to make it? I have to bury her. I couldn't tell anybody. Without waking anyone, Skyler said she silently walked downstairs, got a small garden trowel, and then dug a shallow grave in her backyard. After about 45 minutes of questioning, Lieutenant Vane told Skyler's anxious parents the real reason he brought in their daughter.

12:33Shock. I couldn't feel my body. I could not get up. How could that happen? I've seen her every day. I look at her. I talk to her. I hug her. Thane then gave the Richardsons some time alone with their daughter, never mentioning that the camera was rolling. I'm going to step out. And capturing this deeply personal moment. I'm sorry.

13:01I'm so sorry, Mommy.

13:07You should have just told her. Skylar told her parents that she named her baby Annabelle and that the baby's father was that friend's cousin she dated very briefly before Brandon. I can't imagine the pain. It breaks my heart to think about her laying in bed, being scared, not being able to come down and tell me what had just happened. With the Richardsons still at the police station, coming to terms with their new reality, investigators descended on their home in search of human remains. Soon, Skyler's once closely held secret... Investigators were tipped off about the... ...was shared with everyone in town.

13:56Buried in the back of this house? After more than five hours, Skylar and her parents were allowed to go home.

14:07But six days later, Lieutenant Fane called asking Skylar to come in again. I was told she's not in any trouble. It's not a life-changing situation. This time, Fane was accompanied by Detective Brandi Carter. Hi, I'm Brandi. And they had new damaging information from the coroner's office. We know there's some more that happened than what you shared the other day. Okay. Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a forensic anthropologist who analyzed the remains, reported there was evidence that the baby's bones may have been burned. So she was under the belief that the baby had been set on fire. What was your reaction when you heard that?

14:51I was surprised. Fain began to think Skylar must be lying about everything and was determined to get her to admit to killing the baby and then burning the remains in order to hide the evidence. There's some evidence to show that there was some burning on her. Did it burn her? I apologize about anything. I didn't burn her. I swear on anything. But Skylar is clearly confused. Anything. Was there any reason? She denied setting a fire. No, and I did nothing with fire. Nothing. A total of 17 times. Any reasons for any of that? No. In your head, you're thinking, this young woman is lying to me. Yes, because they had told us certainly.

15:35With scientific certainty, there was the fire. Maybe it just was one of those things where you just thought, like a cremation. Like, I'm going to have some actions that I can keep of my daughter. Suddenly, Skylar changed her story. Telling everything that you were thinking and everything you did. She said hello, baby. It didn't stop there. Did you hear anything like little gurgle sounds? Skylar also made the startling admission that the baby might have been born alive. How did you know at first, you know, that she was probably alive just a little bit? Well, I think she might have been a noise, maybe a little noise, a gurgle.

16:15When she said that she might have heard a gurgle, the gurgle came from you guys first, right? That word, yes. I said that word first. At the end of that hour-long interrogation, detectives had enough to arrest the 18-year-old on a charge of reckless homicide. Their theory was that she had suffocated the baby. A distraught Skyler told her parents what she told police. I tried to cremate the baby just a little. You tried to cremate the baby? Yeah, I didn't.

16:53Brooke Richardson is in the Warren County Jail tonight. Skyler made bail. Just two weeks later, the case was presented to a grand jury who indicted her on a new devastating set of charges. Skyler was arrested again. Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell. Count one of that indictment is for aggravated murder. Aggravated murder, a charge that carries a mandatory life sentence in Ohio. The other charges, involuntary manslaughter, endangering children, and abuse of a corpse. Fornchell left no doubt that he had the evidence. The general allegations against her are that she did give birth to a newborn infant.

17:41She caused the death of that infant, burned the infant, and buried the infant. The motive, says Fornchell, a baby wouldn't fit into Skyler's life. Skyler and her family were pretty obsessed with external appearances. You're describing a spoiled, self-entitled teenager who was more worried about vanity than keeping the life of a baby alive. Those are your words. There's no way she would ever hurt anyone. There's no way. I would stake my life on it. Despite Schuyler's incriminating statements, Kim and Scott say they intend to prove Schuyler is innocent. With the help of these two attorneys. The prosecutor is trying to say that Schuyler Richardson was a cold-blooded killer.

18:32And it's quite a leap once all the evidence is in.

18:50Skylar Richardson in handcuffs entered a plea of not guilty during her arraignment on five charges, including aggravated murder. Skylar spent the weekend in jail until her family could come up with a$50 ,000 bond. It was a surreal experience for her parents. It was her physically, but when you looked at her face... It's just surreal, though. She had checked out. Skyler emerged into a tabloid firestorm. Following the prosecutor's sensational press conference, the court imposed a gag order, but the damage had already been done. We know a lot more tonight about the Carlisle teen mom, now accused of the horrific crime of killing her newborn and then burning the baby's body.

19:42On social media, Skylar and her family were vilified. In some ways, is this like kind of the modern Salem witch trials? Yes, very. Every move we make, everything we do, we're judged, we're followed, stalked. We were crucified, and that's putting it mildly. Outside the Warren County Courthouse today, protesters stood with signs calling for justice for baby Carlisle. Justice for your baby. What are your baby's boys? They would take turns sitting out in front of our house and they would set up a schedule to watch our comings and goings. I would see pictures of myself out on my back deck. There were threats and a constant drumbeat of vitriol.

20:29It became difficult for the family to even leave the house. People would claim to know us. They would take any picture that they could find of Skylar, and they would paste pictures of baby's faces in it. And they found a picture of her with a shovel, and they posted some little baby's face in it. Prominent local defense attorneys Charlie M. Rickers and his father, Charlie H., say this is a case of a false confession. I can tell you that Brooke, Skylar Richardson, did not kill her baby. And then, as both sides prepared for trial, Dr. Elizabeth Murray, the forensic anthropologist who reported the remains were burned, retracted her initial assessment after taking another look at the bones.

21:18She now said they showed no sign whatsoever of incineration or burning. And now every doctor in the case, including the state's own doctor, agree that that was a false opinion. And yet, nothing changed in the prosecutor's approach. Because in the interrogation, Schuyler admitted that she tried to cremate the remains, Fornchel refuses to back down or correct the record. Part of the reason why I think the indictment was so severe is because the first anthropologist in this case came to an opinion that she has now retracted. But has that affected the way people see this case? Absolutely. The jury pool's been tainted, and now this poor girl, our client Skylar, who was 18 years old at the time, is facing life in prison.

22:09Skylar was fitted with an ankle bracelet and placed under house arrest. She spent much of her time reading books and hanging out with her dogs. In the backyard under a pine tree, her parents placed an angel ornament to mark the spot where Skylar once buried the baby she called Annabelle. She did what she thought she needed to do. Maybe outside looking in that was wrong, but in her mind she just delivered a stillborn baby. She gently laid the baby down in the ground. She didn't have a casket. She buried the baby and laid a flower over top of it. She put a vase as a marker. You can see it from her window.

22:56As 12 months passed, Skyler's plans to attend the University of Cincinnati were put on hold. She can't get a job. She can't go to school. The defense filed a motion to move the trial to a different county, but the request was denied. They've not listened to anything that Charlie and the team have put together and taken them into consideration. It's just all very cold and hard. Then in July 2019, the state approached Schuyler's lawyers with an unexpected offer. The prosecutor told Charlie, I will take aggravated murder off if you plea to the rest of them, which still could have been 15 years. Faced with a possibility of life without parole, The Richardsons knew they had a terrible dilemma.

23:48But in the end, the decision was Skyler's to make. It was a Sunday morning, and she woke up, and I can still see her sitting on the couch, and she goes, I'm not going to plea to something that I didn't do. And in my heart, I got sick, but it has to be her decision. End of day, she has to live with this. That's got to be, though, weighing on both of you. The idea that whether she goes to prison for the rest of her life is in your hands. It's quite a burden. There's no way that she would harm her baby. No way.

24:30On September 3rd, 2019, despite concerns of a tainted jury pool, a 12-person jury is seated after a single day of voir dire. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Knippen delivered his opening statement with a jaw-dropping quote from a text that Skylar Richardson sent to her mom. I'm literally speechless with how happy I am. My belly is back, OMG. And I'm never, ever, ever, ever letting it get like this again. Those are the words that Brooke Richardson texted to her mother just hours after she murdered her infant daughter in the middle of the night and buried her lifeless body in the dirt behind their home.

25:23With the possibility that Skyler's own words will be her undoing, her family wondered if they made a tragic mistake by not accepting the deal they were offered. But does that scare the two of you? Yes. Absolutely. She did ask me, am I doing the right thing?

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