Dennis Eckersley’s daughter receives suspended sentence for abandoning baby

A mother convicted of abandoning her newborn son in the woods in sub-zero temperatures was given a suspended sentence Thursday on the condition she maintain contact with health care providers.

Alexandra Eckersley, 27, the daughter of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, was given separate sentences of 12 months and six months on separate charges, both of which were suspended by the court, allowing her to return home.

Prosecutors had asked for at least a year in prison, followed by probation. The defense asked for a six-month suspended sentence and that Eckersley continue to adhere to doctors’ mental health recommendations.

• Read more: Man arrested after police say he was with Alexandra Eckersley when she left the baby

Judge Amy Messer said sentencing Eckersley to prison would create a significant chance of derailing the gains and stability she has achieved since her arrest.

Eckersley did not address the court.

“Ms. expect that if you do that, you will be successful,” Messer said.

The sentences would begin Thursday and end in three years, provided Eckersley continues to provide mental health services. She was due back in court on November 14.

The charges Eckersley was convicted of – tampering with physical evidence, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment – ​​would normally carry a prison sentence of four to eight years. The jury acquitted her of two charges of assault.

• Read more: A second person was with Alexandra Eckersley when she gave birth in the woods, police say

Assistant District Attorney Alexander Gatzoulis acknowledged that Eckersley admitted her actions during the trial and worked to turn her life around.

“On the other hand, Ms. Eckersley’s behavior was disturbing and almost resulted in the unthinkable,” he said. “Not once did Ms. Eckersley lie or mislead emergency responders. She did so repeatedly, for nearly an hour, about something as important as concealing the location of a newborn child.”

Her lawyers have said Eckersley, who had been diagnosed with mental health and developmental issues since childhood, did not know she was pregnant and was suffering a medical emergency. They said she has been sober since her arrest, attends regular therapy and has been living with her son and mother in Massachusetts since earlier this year.

Her mother, Nancy Eckersley, asked the court for leniency, saying her daughter has found happiness, a clear sense of purpose and fulfillment for the first time in her life through her son Teddy.

“Finally at 27, Ally is thriving, Teddy is thriving, even I’m thriving because I have my daughter at home. I finally have her living with me and the three of us are living in what I can only describe as bliss,” said Nancy Eckersley.

• Read more: Alexandra Eckersley’s family ‘in shock’ as she is accused of abandoning a newborn baby

Eckersley left home when she was about 20 to meet a man she met online, her lawyers said. She has not had any mental health care for years. She was homeless and living in a tent in Manchester, New Hampshire, when she gave birth on Christmas night 2022 at the age of 25.

She had testified at her trial in July that she believed her son had died after she gave birth. Prosecutors said her son, who survived, was left alone for more than an hour, suffering from breathing problems and hypothermia as temperatures dropped to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 9.4 degrees Celsius).

Prosecutors said Eckersley hid her son’s location and deliberately led first responders in a different direction because she didn’t want to get into trouble. Finally, she told them that she heard the baby crying.

Her lawyers said she called 911 and led them to the baby. They said the police didn’t listen to her at first.

Eckersley’s attorneys said a man who was in the tent with her told her the baby had no pulse. Without a cell phone to call for help, the couple began walking to an ice arena. Along the way, Eckersley experienced an afterbirth, but thought she was having a second child. She told a 911 dispatcher that she had two children, one died immediately and the other lived less than a minute.

The man, who was arrested along with Eckersley, was sentenced to a year in prison last August after pleading guilty to child endangerment.

The Eckersley family released a statement shortly after she was arrested saying they had no prior knowledge of her pregnancy and were in complete shock. The family said she has “suffered from severe mental illness her entire life” and they have done their utmost to get her help and support.

Dennis Eckersley, who attended part of his daughter’s trial, was drafted out of high school by Cleveland in 1972 and pitched 24 seasons for Cleveland, Boston, Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis. He won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1992 while playing for the Oakland Athletics. After his playing days, Eckersley broadcast Boston Red Sox games and retired in 2022.