The mother accused of abandoning her newborn in a trash container last year has been granted the latest in a series of trial delays.
According to information provided by the Fifth Judicial District Court, Christina Devine, 24, of Emporia, has been granted a continuation of her jury trial. Her trial has been continued to March 12 and is expected to last through that week. She will have a pretrial conference on Feb. 10 before Judge Merlin Wheeler and a final pretrial conference on March 8 before Judge Lee Fowler.
Devine is on trial for first-degree attempted murder after allegedly leaving her newborn baby in a Dumpster at Chapel Ridge Apartments, 2601 W. 18th Ave., in October of 2010.
According to a police affidavit, she delivered the baby while alone at home on Oct. 22, 2010, and abandoned it in the Dumpster, where it was found by a worker at the apartment complex.
When police arrived they found the newborn still breathing and transported him to Newman Regional Health.
A co-worker of Devine’s at Walmart called police that day and informed them of a woman who had shown up to work looking like she might have recently given birth. When questioned by police, Devine admitted that she’d given birth to the child, wrapped him in a blanket and left him in the trash container.
Court records show the woman told police she had been raped and she could not take care of the baby.
The latest continuance comes in a trial that has had several delays to allow prosecution and defense teams time to review reports on Devine’s psychological state.