A Missouri woman has managed to avoid a prison sentence after admitting to charges of child abuse this past Friday.
In the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri, located in St. Louis, the 22-year-old Emily Rigdon faced the court and pleaded guilty to two charges of child abuse or neglect. The judge handed her a five-year prison sentence for each charge, with both terms set to run concurrently.
Nevertheless, the judge acknowledged the 600 days she had already spent in jail, effectively suspending the remainder of her sentence, according to Law&Crime. Instead, Rigdon will serve a three-year probation period and is required to complete an anger management program.
The incident, as previously detailed by CrimeOnline, occurred in April 2024 at a home in St. Louis. Rigdon recorded herself as she used her hand and a blanket to cover her baby’s face, causing the infant to struggle and cry while trying to remove the blanket.
In a disturbing text message, Rigdon confessed, “IDK when I do that, I feel happy like an adrenaline rush. I be stopping right before he dies. Last time, he was blue. I really wanna kill him but I don’t want to go to jail so. It’s unfortunate. He’s just gonna have to pay for his existence.”
She later captured a second video, repeating the same distressing actions. The footage showed the baby desperately trying to pull the blanket away.
Ridgon’s son was under six months old at the time, and there was an active restraining order against his father. The infant survived, but it’s currently unclear who is caring for him.
Rigdon’s lawyer previously revealed in court that her borderline personality disorder had been exacerbated by postpartum depression.
No other reason has been provided as to why she harmed the child.
[Feature Photo: Emma Rigdon/City Justice Center]
