Former cheerleader goes on trial, accused of killing baby and burying her in backyard

Jury selection has begun in a US courtroom in the trial of a former cheerleader accused of killing her newborn baby and burying the child's remains in the backyard.

Brooke Skylar Richardson, now 20, is charged with aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter, gross abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and child endangerment. She has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors allege Richardson, from Ohio, purposefully killed the baby shortly after giving birth in July, 2017, because she did not want to be pregnant. 

A search of the backyard where Richardson lived with her parents uncovered the remains of a baby girl. Officers had received a call from the teen's doctor, who said Richardson had "gone into labor, delivered a stillborn baby, and buried the baby in her backyard," according to court papers.

Prosecutors allege the then-18-year-old didn't want to be pregnant and become a single mother, as it would ruin her reputation and her experience of college, which was due to start shortly after. They claim Richardson didn't return to the doctor for an ultrasound and follow-up appointments and ignored calls from medical professionals.

But Richardson's attorneys refute that. They allege their client experienced a stillbirth and buried a foetus, delivered at 33 weeks, in the backyard.

On Tuesday, both the prosecution and the defence spoke to potential jurors. One of the biggest issues of contention is whether Richardson burned the body of her newborn before burying her, which prosecutors claim.

But the forensic anthropologist assigned to the case later appeared to recant that claim. In opening statements Tuesday, prosecutors said the evidence would still show that Richardson gave birth alone, buried the baby, disposed of the evidence, and kept it a secret from everyone—including her parents.

Richardson's defence attorneys argue she was the victim of a "massive rush to judgment" and claim her response to finding out she was pregnant was normal for a teenager. They said she hadn't told her family about the pregnancy before what they say was a miscarriage because she did not expect to give birth so soon.

The trial is expected to last several weeks.