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Mother killed baby to hide relationship with minor, grand jury says

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By Dave Greber, Staff Writer Updated 11:25 PM Monday, August 31, 2009

HAMILTON — A Hamilton mother could face the death penalty on charges that she killed her 5-week-old son and stuffed him in a garbage can because he was the product of sex with a minor.

Asuncion “Suzie” Avila-Villa, 25, who lived in an upstairs apartment in the 1300 block of Shuler Avenue, was arrested Aug. 25 and charged with murder, endangering children, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

A Butler County grand jury returned an indictment Monday, Aug. 31, on Avila-Villa on charges of aggravated murder, endangering children, gross abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and unlawful sexual conduct involving a minor. The indictment states Avila-Villa killed the infant to escape the unlawful sexual conduct charges.

Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper said the infant was created between Avila-Villa and a boy 14 or 15 years old. The relationship allegedly took place between September 2008 and November 2008, Piper said.

Piper said his office does not take capital cases — those involving the death penalty — lightly, but that the grand jury was correct in its recommendation.

“The facts and details of the murder of this innocent child are unexplainably horrifying and clearly support that indictment that the grand jury handed down,” he said. “We’re never cavalier in seeking the death penalty.”

On Aug. 24, Avila-Villa reported to police that her baby had been taken by a former boyfriend. Detectives found the baby the next day in a trash can in an alley behind her apartment building.

According to an autopsy, the baby, Israel Santos, died of a crushed skull, Butler County Coroner Dr. Richard Burkhardt said. The baby also had a broken arm and low body weight for his age, Burkhardt said.

Avila-Villa remains in jail on a $1 million bond. An arraignment is expected to take place this week, Piper said.

Asuncion “Suzie”  Avila-Villa

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