Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Tuesday, Feb. 13, that a Bronx woman has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the death by asphyxiation of her newborn twin daughter in September 2023, as reported. The woman later gave birth to a twin baby boy.

 

Reacting to the charges, Clark said, “A child died within minutes of being born, allegedly by her mother’s callous disregard for the infant’s life.” Clark said Lasasha Browne-Gouldbourne, 31, of the Allerton section of The Bronx, was arraigned on Feb. 13 on second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Hornstein. She added that Browne-Gouldbourne is being held on $100,000 cash/$200,000 bond.

 

As reported, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, police said Gouldbourne, 31, of Bronx Park East had been arrested the previous day at 10 a.m. They said she was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, assault, and acting in a manner injurious to a child. No details were shared by police regarding the whereabouts of the baby’s father at the time of Gouldbourne’s arrest.

 

According to the investigation, on Sept. 1, 2023, at around 3 a.m., Browne-Gouldbourne arrived at an apartment on Bronx Park East in The Bronx, and gave birth in the bathroom at the location. She was observed holding an infant, who was crying. While the resident of the apartment was calling 911, Browne-Gouldbourne left the location.

 

The court heard that the witness did not observe the baby with Browne-Gouldbourne, but said she was carrying a tote bag. Browne-Gouldbourne was later seen on surveillance video with a bag and no baby. The court heard that at around 7 a.m., Browne-Gouldbourne arrived at her mother’s home nearby and when her mother asked if she had any laundry to be done, she handed her mother the bag, and left.

 

According to the investigation, when the bag was opened, there was a lifeless newborn girl wrapped up in the clothing. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was asphyxia by smothering. Browne-Gouldbourne was later arrested on White Plains Road and taken to an hospital, where she gave birth to a boy, a twin of the deceased infant. Browne-Gouldbourne is due back in court on April 11.

Meanwhile, just across the border in Westchester County, as reported, Yonkers police arrested a mother and charged her on Feb. 8 with abandoning a newborn baby on Feb. 6, in the hallway of an apartment building at 32 Chestnut Street in the city. No details regarding the whereabouts of the baby’s father were shared by police in that case at the time of the arrest of the victim’s mother. The baby was taken to an area hospital and has survived.

 

The Bronx case is being prosecuted by Victoria Nuñez, major case assistant district attorney in the Child Abuse /Sex Crimes Bureau and Astrid Borgstedt, trial counsel in the  Child Abuse/Sex Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of  Mimi Mairs, chief of the Child Abuse/Sex Crimes Bureau, under the overall supervision of Adrienne Giunta, deputy chief of the Special Victims Division, and Joseph Muroff, chief of the Special Victims Division.

 

Clark thanked Assistant District Attorney Julia Chariott of the Community Justice Bureau and John Vallely, chief of the Community Justice Bureau and Trial Preparation Assistant Jaquelin Rodriguez Dominguez for their assistance.

 

She also thanked NYPD Detective Kyle Keiser of the 49^th Precinct Detective Squad and NYPD Detective Frankie Soler of Bronx Homicide for their work in the investigation.

 

The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Officials from the Office of the Attorney General previously said New Yorkers are encouraged to call the New York abortion rights legal hotline at (212) 899-5567 for free legal information and resources about accessing abortion.

 

Medication abortion continues to be legal, safe, and available at the New York City’s Sexual Health Clinics and NYC Health + Hospitals locations. If you are looking for help finding an abortion in New York City, call the Abortion Access Hub on 1-877-NYC—AHUB o 1-877-692-2482 or visit nyc.gov/abortion for more information. Learn more at https://on.nyc.gov/3h2fQvl.

 

On the same day as the announcement was made, as reported, the Adams administration announced the introduction of a new Reproductive and Sexual Bill of Rights, enshrining the right to reproductive healthcare, including abortion services, into City law.