Teen Mom Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Newborn Son’s Murder
A Nebraska teen, Chloe Coplen-Anderson, has been sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison for the brutal murder of her newborn son. The 18-year-old pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for the heinous crime, which took place when she was just 16 years old.
According to prosecutors, Coplen-Anderson secretly gave birth to her baby boy in her childhood bedroom in Gordon before grabbing a knife from the kitchen and slashing the infant’s throat on November 6, 2023.
The newborn was found with a slashed windpipe and multiple stab wounds on the left side of his chest, wrapped in a towel in Coplen-Anderson’s bedroom. Her parents discovered the horrific scene when they realized the baby wasn’t breathing and called the police.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Coplen-Anderson had kept her pregnancy a secret from her family. Her mother identified marks on the baby’s body and informed the authorities that her daughter was responsible for the murder.
Despite initially denying involvement, Coplen-Anderson’s father later found the bloody knife used in the crime hidden in his daughter’s closet, leading to her arrest.
Her defense attorney, Todd Lancaster, claimed that Coplen-Anderson had been a victim of abuse from family members and suffered from long-lasting trauma and mental health conditions, which contributed to the tragic incident. He also alleged that she had been impregnated at the age of 15 by a 19-year-old.
Although Coplen-Anderson has already spent nearly two years in prison, her time served will be credited towards her sentence. She will be eligible for release when she is in her mid-70s.
