A lawyer for a woman accused in the death of her newborn likened her oversized ankle monitor to “a ball and chain” while making an unsuccessful plea for a judge to let her go back to Mississippi.
Brianna Moore, a 21-year-old former University of Tampa student, is charged with killing her newborn daughter after prosecutors say she gave birth alone in a dorm bathroom in April 2024.
Moore was back in a Florida courtroom on Thursday after securing her release from jail on a $262,500 bond, ending nearly two years in custody.
Her release, however, came with strict conditions: she must stay in Hillsborough County as she awaits her trial, which is scheduled for November.
Her defense team asked Hillsborough Circuit Judge Lawrence Lefler to modify those terms so Moore could leave Florida and live with family members in Mississippi until the case goes before a jury.
The attorneys argued that the GPS monitor locked around her ankle was so heavy-duty that removing it would be virtually impossible.
“I just wanted the court to actually see the monitor,” defense attorney Jonah Dickstein told the judge.
“It’s not a normal one. This would take, like, some industrial-strength thing to break. I’m serious. I just saw it, and I can’t believe it. This is a serious object. It’s like a ball and chain.”
Brianna Moore appeared in a Florida courtroom Thursday after posting $262,500 bond following nearly two years behind bars in connection with the death of her newborn daughter
Moore showed the court the bulky GPS monitor fastened around her ankle as her attorney sought permission for her to return to Mississippi
Moore’s attorney compared the GPS monitor to a ‘ball and chain’ and argued that it would require an ‘industrial-strength’ tool to remove
Dickstein then had Moore approach the bench and show Lefler the monitor, describing it as ‘several inches thick.’
But Lefler was unconvinced by the show-and-tell, pointing out that other defendants had successfully cut off similar devices.
‘Let’s be real,’ he said. ‘You could cut it if you needed to.’
The judge stressed that he was not suggesting Moore intended to flee, but questioned how authorities could enforce her release conditions from hundreds of miles away.
‘Let’s assume for a second she does run,’ Lefler said.
‘I don’t know how big Quitman is. I don’t know if they have a police force. I have no idea if there’s any way to enforce that.’
Moore’s attorneys argued she was hardly equipped to make a quick getaway, with just 48 cents to her name after leaving jail Wednesday night.
Her entire family lives in Mississippi, where she was born and raised, and relatives had offered her five possible homes, defense attorney Idalis Vento said.
Moore claims she had no idea she was pregnant before suddenly falling ill and giving birth in her dorm bathroom
Vento argued that forcing Moore to stay in Hillsborough County would make it difficult for her to find work and expose her to harassment because of the publicity surrounding the case.
Moore has no passport, no money and an expired driver’s license, the attorney added.
‘She does not have a way to get around,’ Vento told the court. ‘She has no money to go anywhere.’
Her family has also attended every court hearing despite having to travel from Mississippi, the defense said.
Moore’s attorneys insisted she had fully cooperated with investigators and had not attempted to disappear after the baby’s death.
She finished the semester following the birth, passed her courses and then transferred to another university in Mississippi, Dickstein told the court.
RELATED: Abby Johnson From Fidelity Biography & Family: Who Is She? Net Worth 2022 and Ned Johnson Legacy
Moore also gave police the addresses where she could be found before returning home, her lawyers said.
She remained there for about six months before authorities arrested her.
Moore faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter, with prosecutors alleging she suffocated her newborn baby and left it in a trash bag. She is pictured above during a court appearance in November last year
Moore claims that she had no idea she was pregnant before she suddenly fell ill in her dorm, throwing up and laying on the floor in pain before her screaming bay fell down next to her. She is seen in a Facebook photo above
‘She could have gone anywhere in the world,’ Vento said. ‘And where do they find her? At home.’
The attorneys argued that Moore could be monitored around the clock by GPS and checked on by local law enforcement.
They also noted that the bail bondsman had approximately $26,000 riding on her continued cooperation.
‘You can bet that if any of this happened, the bond agent would turn into Dog the Bounty Hunter if she were to run,’ Vento said. ‘But she’s not going to run.’
Prosecutors were not persuaded and strongly opposed allowing Moore to return home, arguing there had been no change in circumstances since her release conditions were originally imposed.
They also raised concerns about Florida authorities’ ability to supervise her across state lines.
After inspecting the supposedly formidable monitor and hearing why Moore was an unlikely flight risk, Lefler denied the defense’s request.
‘At this point, I’m just going to deny your motion,’ he said.
The child was found alone in the middle of the well-trafficked roadway around 9.45 am on 59th street in Galveston, between a grocery store and the Beachfront Palms Hotel (pictured)
The judge ordered Moore to remain in Hillsborough County and gave her seven business days to secure a permanent local address.
Moore and her family were staying in an Airbnb immediately after her release and had not yet arranged long-term accommodation, the court heard.
Prosecutors questioned how Moore had been allowed to post bond without having a permanent address in the county.
‘She shouldn’t have been able to bond out without a permanent address,’ a prosecutor told the court.
Lefler acknowledged the problem but said he could not force Moore to ‘do the impossible’ after she had been released only the previous night.
Her bail agent must also provide prosecutors and the court with weekly reports documenting her movements.
Moore faces charges including aggravated manslaughter in connection with her newborn daughter’s death.
She gave birth alone in a University of Tampa dormitory bathroom in April 2024, according to authorities.
The infant was still alive when she was discovered and was urgently rushed to the emergency center at UTMB Health’s John Sealy Hospital (pictured) but later died
Defense medical experts have said the child may have died unintentionally during the unattended delivery.
A psychological expert has also said Moore may have experienced a cryptic or unperceived pregnancy, a condition in which someone is unaware of or in denial about being pregnant.
The expert determined that Moore entered a mild dissociative state brought on by severe trauma when she went into labor.
Dickstein told the court that Moore repeatedly spoke with investigators, answered their questions and had no previous criminal record.
He also said her daughter’s cremated remains were returned to Moore in an urn and taken to her family’s home in Mississippi.
Moore was released shortly before 9pm Wednesday after posting bonds totaling $262,500, according to jail records.
It marked her first taste of freedom since she was arrested at her Mississippi home in October 2024. Her trial is scheduled to begin in November.
