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US woman gets 30 years for six baby deaths

A 40-year-old American mother has been jailed for at least 30 years for killing six of her children when they were newborns.

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Source: AAP


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A mother who killed six of her newborn babies and hid their bodies in her garage for more than a decade has been sentenced to at least 30 years jail.

During an emotional hearing in the US state of Utah, a prosecutor depicted 40-year-old Megan Hunstman - who has three surviving children - as an "incredibly indifferent and callous" murderer.

Police said Hunstman had concealed her pregnancies, given birth at home and choked and strangled the babies with her own hands just minutes after they were born.

She killed six babies. The body of a seventh baby, found in her garage, was found to be stillborn.

Prosecutor Jeff Buhman said that of Huntsman's three surviving children, she had opted to not kill one of them because people had found out about the pregnancy.

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"These were very cold, calculated killings," Buhman said. "She was a woman who was remarkably, unbelievably, incredibly indifferent and callous."

Police found the bodies of the six newborns wrapped in cloth, placed in plastic bags and packed into boxes.

Huntsman eventually moved out of the house and left the decomposing remains behind.

She had thought about moving the bodies, but said she couldn't think of a way to do it without getting caught.

It remains unclear how she had concealed the pregnancies, births and murders from relatives and friends.

Huntsman had told police she was too addicted to methamphetamine to care for the children during the decade when the babies were killed.

Judge Darold McDade sentenced Hunstman to at least 30 years and "up to life" in prison. The term went beyond what was called for in a plea deal because he was so repelled by the killings.

A parole board will make the final decision on how much time Huntsman will spend in prison.


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