Mother pleads guilty to lesser charge after newborn dies hours following birth

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA/Gray News) – A woman in Alabama is taking a blind plea deal in connection to a child endangerment charge.

Court documents say Miranda Smith’s newborn died at the hospital in 2017, just hours after being born. At the time, both Smith and her baby girl tested positive for amphetamine, WALA reported.

A grand jury indicted Smith in 2019 on chemical endangerment of a child, according to the documents.

The district attorney in Mobile County upgraded those charges in 2021 to chemical endangerment of child causing a child to die.

The charge was upgraded based on new evidence in the case that wasn’t disclosed in open court, but the district attorney said officials believe the drug use contributed to the death of the newborn.

While Smith pleaded not guilty to the upgraded charge, she is now pleading to the lesser charge in a blind plea deal.

When entering a blind plea, the judge can determine a sentence of any punishment up to the maximum for that crime without a set deal from the state.

In this case, Smith could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison.

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