A Baltimore woman who admitted to using heroin during her pregnancy has been given 30 years in prison after her son died at just nine days old.
Matthew Kirsch, Jr, died at Sinai Hospital in Maryland on October 20, 2015, just nine days after Anne Kirsch gave birth to him at a car mechanic’s garage.
An autopsy revealed the child had suffered blunt force trauma to his head, and had hardly been fed during his time alive, when he was pronounced dead at approximately 10.30 am Eastern on that Tuesday.
He also likely suffered severe withdrawal symptoms and physical pain, as a result of his likely heroin addiction, authorities said.
Kirsch’s husband, Matthew Kirsich Sr, was also sentenced to 15 years of jail time for his role in baby Matthew’s death.
Baltimore’s Anne Kirsch (left), who admitted to using heroin during her pregnancy, has been sentenced to serve 30 years in prison for the homicide of her newborn son, who was likely born addicted to the narcotic in 2015; Her husband, Matthew Kirsch, Sr (right), was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in baby Matthew’s death at just 9 days old
The child’s mother admitted to using heroin during the early stages of her pregnancy, and also the night before her newborn child died, authorities said.
‘As a mother, it is hard to understand how the maternal instinct to nurture and protect did not kick-in for this mother, and my heart breaks that this child suffered through nine days of heroin withdrawals, blunt force trauma, and starvation,’ Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn J Mosby said.
The child’s death was ruled a homicide caused by both abuse and neglect by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the Maryland Department of Health.
The blunt force trauma the child suffered was consistent with having his head slammed against a flat surface, an autopsy showed. The blow caused a traumatic brain injury.
Medical examiners also found that baby Matthew’s stomach was empty, except for gastric fluid, and no indication could be found of any form of nutrition in his digestive track.
‘The child never received medical attention, and the medical examiner determined that the victim had only been fed sporadically during the short time he was alive,’ the statement from Mosby’s office said.
His mother’s full sentenced imposed was for 75 years, with 45 years suspended.
She was convicted of manslaughter and child abuse resulting in death in a 2017 bench trial.
Kirsch’s husband pled guilty to child abuse resulting in death, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with 10 years suspended.
As a result, he’ll now serve up to 15 years behind bars for his failure to take the child in for medical care after he was born.
‘Both parents had an obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of the life they chose to bring into this world,’ Mosby said.
‘Now they will suffer the consequences of those deplorable choices.’
The Baltimore Police Homicide Division investigated the child’s death and Special Victims Unit Chief Anne Colt Leitess prosecuted the case.
Matthew Kirsch, Jr, was boring on October 11, 2015, in the repair bay of an auto repair shop where his mother worked.