Accused of secretly delivering a child in a bathroom and hiding the body in a closet at her parents' Colorado home, Morgan Hite of Wasilla pleaded guilty Monday to a felony charge of child abuse resulting in death in a deal that will land her at least 16 years in prison, according to the Mesa County district attorney.
The plea bargain took off the table a count of first-degree murder, which could have landed Hite, 23, in prison for life, Pete Hautzinger said in a phone interview Monday.
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported Hite was in tears at the hearing at which she entered her plea. She faces between 16 and 24 years in prison when she's sentenced March 19, Hautzinger said.
"Clearly the crime she committed was heinous and deserving of a stiff penalty, which I think 16-24 years is," he said. "I didn't think we needed to lock her up forever and throw the key away."
Charges filed against Hite described her arriving at her family's Grand Junction, Colo., home last February and giving birth to the boy, now called Gabriel, in a neighbor's bathtub while the neighbor and Hite's stepmother were out.
Prosecutors said Hite wrapped Gabriel in a garbage bag, brought him to her parents' house and stuffed the body in a plastic tote in her bedroom closet. The child went undiscovered for two months until Hite's father and stepmother discovered the decomposing body wrapped in a bloody green towel in April, the charges said.
Hite stayed in the bedroom for more than a month -- in the meantime shopping with family, going skiing in Vail and attending a college hockey tournament, according to charges. She returned to Alaska on April 3, and Hite's parents found the child's corpse April 29, a week before her arrest in Mat-Su.
Under questioning, Hite, who also has a young daughter, told Alaska State Troopers that she wasn't ready to have another child.
Court records indicate the girl's father gained custody of her in September. Efforts to contact him and his lawyer were unsuccessful Monday.
Hautzinger said Hite has appeared remorseful and that she's "clearly got some profound mental-health issues that ought to be treatable," and she should be a good prospect for rehabilitation.
Hite's family did not return a message seeking comment at their Grand Junction home Monday. The case has been hard on her parents, who were victimized in more ways than one, Hautzinger said.
"It was their grandchild who died," he said. "They're the ones who found the decaying child's body tucked away in their closet, which was a very traumatizing experience. But then, on the other hand, Morgan's their daughter and they want what's best for her, within reason."
Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.
By JAMES HALPIN
jhalpin@adn.com