Defendants have the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty

It has been virtually impossible to overlook the story of Brooke Skylar Richardson, the 18-year-old woman indicted on multiple felony charges including aggravated murder for allegedly killing, burning and burying her newborn baby in the backyard of her Carlisle, Ohio home.

Information released by Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell on his Facebook page and in a news conference has led to some people quickly condemning Richardson. Both the formal accusation and surrounding narrative have convinced some that the recent high school graduate and former cheerleader is guilty.

Intense media coverage of the case has not helped with that perception either. Every new detail reported is gleefully pounced on, dissected and examined by users of social media. Some people refer to Richardson as baby killer and murderer. Some commenters are even claiming to be friends of Richardson.

With news being instantly available on smartphones and tablets, the presumption of innocence seems to no longer be afforded to any defendant. When it comes to the court of public opinion, verdicts are often swiftly delivered with very little deliberation.

Our society tends to make snap judgments without waiting for all the facts to come in. And worse still, we are reluctant to back down even when those facts dont bear out in court.

Defense Attorney Charlie M. Rittgers has vehemently denied that Richardson has killed her baby. He has asked that people withhold their judgment until all the evidence has been heard.

The accusations of a newborn being burned and buried are disturbing and severe. But Judge Donald Oda said at a recent bond hearing that he has seen little evidence that supports the charges." Fornshell admits the cause of death will never be known, and that also presents a challenge for the prosecution.

What we know so far is that Richardson told her OB/GYN that she had given birth to a stillborn and police were alerted. While the authorities were investigating, the family co-operated with them.

Rumors about the baby being dismembered and buried in different parts of the yard have been proven false. And gossip and guesses about the identity of the deceased baby's father are unnecessary and in poor taste.

Oda recently issued a gag order restricting the lawyers, the Richardson family, the Warren County Sheriff, the county coroner and the clerk of courts from publicly talking about the case. The judge expressed concern about the jury pool being tainted and hampering the chances of the defendant getting a fair trial.

Oda is right. We all need to wait for all the facts of the case to be revealed before jumping to a conclusion. At this point, anything else is pure speculation.

In the American criminal justice system, the search for truth is based on the explanation of facts and not perception. Americans understand that a jury must consider all the evidence before rendering their verdict. Those of us in the court of public opinion need to learn to do the same. Richardson deserves to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This post ran in Cincinnati.com on August 24th.