RATHDRUM, Idaho — A Rathdrum woman will spend at least a decade in prison after pleading guilty to killing her newborn baby last year, as reported by KREM 2 news partner the Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls Press.
Elizabeth B. Keyes, 24, pleaded guilty in accordance with Alford to murder in the second degree and to concealment of evidence, both felonies.
By entering an Alford plea in February, Keyes did not admit guilt but acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict her if the case went to trial.
Judge John Mitchell sentenced Keyes on Tuesday to 10 years fixed and 15 years indeterminate on the murder charge, with 377 days credit for time served. He also sentenced her to five years fixed for concealing evidence.
The sentences are to be served concurrently.
Keyes was accused of killing her infant son and leaving him in a plastic bag on the front porch of the Rathdrum home where she slept on a couch in the garage.
Keyes said she did not know she was pregnant before she gave birth in a bathroom at the residence on April 14, 2020.
Police said Keyes strangled the child and used a box cutter to slit open his stomach before placing the body and other debris in a plastic bag.
The child’s body was cut 13 times, prosecutors said.
Police said evidence showed the child was born alive.
Expert reports speculated that the strangulation could have been caused by pulling on the child during delivery, according to court documents.
Keyes reportedly made an effort to clean up the blood in the bathroom and placed the box cutter in a drawer, though she did not attempt to clean herself.
A household member who reportedly believed Keyes had experienced a miscarriage brought Keyes and the child’s body to Kootenai Health.
Dr. James Kirby, a psychiatrist with Kootenai Behavioral Health, observed Keyes while she was hospitalized prior to her arrest.
Medical staff reportedly requested a psychological consultation because they believed Keyes was in a dissociative state.
Disassociation is a phenomenon where a person is disconnected from their emotions, often triggered by a traumatic event.
People experiencing a dissociative event might feel as if they are in a dream and might have an impaired ability to make decisions. They might later be unable to remember the details of the trauma. These episodes can last minutes or hours.
“I think she was going through a dissociative event during the birth,” Kirby said.
Kirby added that he did not believe Keyes was deceptive about her memories and experiences.
“I see a lot of people trying to convince me they are ill or not ill, but there was nothing like that here,” he said. “Everything she said seemed to be sincere.”
Dr. Andrew Nanton, a psychiatrist employed by Oregon State Hospital, evaluated Keyes twice. He said Keyes is intellectually disabled with a low IQ and verbal processing difficulties.
“It probably takes more effort for her to understand what is going on in the world around her than others might have,” he said.
Keyes had little knowledge about human reproduction, her attorney said, and did not understand what was happening when she gave birth.
Nanton said Keyes is at low risk for interpersonal violence in the future.
“There is hope that she can have a fulfilled life,” he said.
In Idaho, second-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison, with a minimum sentence of 10 years. Concealing evidence carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 25 years to life, so that Keyes would be in her late 40s or older upon release and thus unlikely to have another child.
Criminal chief prosecutor Laura McClinton said Keyes poses a danger to infants.
“She took the most innocent of lives — a helpless newborn baby expecting to be loved and cared for,” McClinton said.
Both psychiatrists said in court Tuesday that they believe Keyes is not a dangerous person.
“While we would have liked a longer sentence, it is good Ms. Keyes will be incarcerated for a long time,” Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney Barry McHugh said in a news release.
Judge Mitchell said the circumstances of the case are unique.
He said whether Keyes knew she was pregnant beforehand or experienced a dissociative episode ultimately did not matter when it came to sentencing, due to the facts of the case.
“What you have pled guilty to is willful conduct,” he said.
Keyes choked the infant, he said, cut his body and then placed the body in the trash.
“I wish I could give you your freedom today, but I can’t,” Mitchell said. “You intended to end that child’s life that day. I can make no other finding based on what you pled guilty to.”
The Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls Press is a KREM 2 news partner. For more from our news partner, click here.
