ST. Paul, Minn. (Feb. 2, 2017) — A St. Paul woman pled guilty to a manslaughter charge on Thursday in Ramsey County Court, second district of Minnesota, according to the office of the Ramsey County Attorney John Choi,
Shwe Htoo, 23, pled guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of her infant son on Nov. 18, 2015. After initially being ruled incompetent to stand trial, Htoo was restored to competency in 2016.
As part of the plea agreement, Htoo admitted that she fed her baby formula tainted with poison with the intent to kill him. The next morning, after finding the baby still alive, she suffocated the boy using a blanket and her hands, loaded him into the back seat of her vehicle and drove it into a light pole in Como Park.
Htoo faces a prison commit of between 12.5 to 15 years at her March 22 sentencing hearing.
Ramsey County Judge Judith Tilsen found aggravating factors in the case, including the particular vulnerability of the victim and the particular cruelty of her actions. This could put Htoo’s sentence in the upward range in the sentencing guidelines, according to Choi’s office.
Htoo will remain under a temporary civil commitment hold until May. An initial charge of second-degree murder will be dismissed at sentencing. She remains in custody.
