PALM COAST, Fla. – A Palm Coast woman accused of giving birth at home, watching her newborn die and burying the infant in her backyard was denied bond Tuesday after her charges were upgraded to first-degree murder.
Anne Mae DeMegillo, 21, appeared in court Tuesday, where her defense team argued she should be allowed to bond out of jail. Judge Dawn Nichols disagreed, citing the severity of the upgraded charge.
“If in fact she’s ultimately found guilty, if she goes to trial, she’s looking at spending the rest of her life in prison. This changes things,” Nichols said in court Tuesday.
DeMegillo’s charges were upgraded last month from manslaughter to first-degree murder. She had previously been allowed to bond out in March on the lesser manslaughter charge. Her defense attorney argued her character had not changed since then.
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“Inherently, that young lady has not changed one bit since the last time we were here on this judge,” defense attorney Michael Politis argued in court Tuesday.
The judge acknowledged the defense’s position but said the facts of the case — not the defendant — had changed. DeMegillo will remain in jail until trial.
According to Flagler County deputies, a welfare check on DeMegillo on March 6 was prompted by a call from a friend after DeMegillo sent a text saying she had given birth. At her home, DeMegillo admitted to investigators that she gave birth on the toilet and watched the baby drown and die in the toilet as she cleaned the bathroom.
Investigators say DeMegillo then placed the baby in a duffel bag in her closet, left for a college class and to perform in a play, then later buried the infant in her backyard. DeMegillo told investigators she did not know she was pregnant.
However, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says detectives later found internet searches on her phone and computer that contradicted that statement. Those searches included terms such as “newborn premature babies,” “Palm Coast OB-GYN,” “foods to decrease fertility,” and searches for images of Casey Anthony and a newborn baby. Investigators say those findings prompted the charge upgrade.
DeMegillo is expected to be back in court next month.