A British nanny named Louise Woodward was found guilty of the unintentional killing of an eight-month-old child.

She was a former British au pair who was the focus of a legal dispute and media controversy in 1997.

The world was outraged by Louise’s 19-year-old trial for the murder of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen.

When the infant stopped breathing while being cared for by Matthew in Massachusetts, Louise, 19 years old and from Elton, contacted an ambulance immediately. Unfortunately, a brain bleed caused the infant’s death after six days.

Days before the child’s passing, Louise acknowledged that she had been a touch hard with him. He was initially charged with violence against a kid, but after the infant died, the charge was changed to first-degree murder.

What Happened In Louise Woodward's Case? And How Long Did Louise Woodward Spend In Jail?
Image Source: –www.cosmopolitan.com

What Happened In Louise Woodward’s Case?

In Massachusetts, Louise Woodward, a nanny, was taking care of Matthew Eappen, who was eight months old. When the infant stopped breathing, she acted quickly and dialed an ambulance.

Matthew was checked into Boston’s Children’s Hospital. Unfortunately, the boy had a subdural hematoma and a fractured skull, which led to a coma five days later and, regrettably, to his death on February 9, 1997.

In addition, doctors discovered a fractured wrist that had occurred a month earlier but had gone undiagnosed.

Retinal hemorrhages that Lois E.H. Smith, an ophthalmologist, determined to be indicative of SBS were seen (shaken-baby syndrome).

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Louise maintained her innocence throughout the trial, which was held in October 1997. According to the prosecution, the nanny killed the child out of intense, unrelenting rage.

The jury found Louise guilty of second-degree murder on October 30, 1997. As a result, she was sentenced to prison with a minimum of fifteen years to serve. Nevertheless, her legal team did submit a post-conviction petition to the trial court.

Judge Zobel downgraded Louise’s conviction to involuntary manslaughter following a post-conviction hearing on November 10. She was released when her sentence was reduced to time served, or 279 days.

How Long Did Louise Woodward Spend In Jail?

Following a hearing for post-conviction relief, Louise’s sentence was shortened to 279 days. She had already served the same time in prison before being released.

The jury convicted Louise of second-degree murder on October 30, 1997, resulting in a mandatory life sentence after 26 hours of deliberations. Hearing the verdict, the young nanny started crying.

Days later, it was revealed that the jury was divided on the verdict, and one juror further acknowledged that none of the other jurors believed Louise had attempted to murder the young child, Matthew Eappen.

Image Source: –www.thesun.co.uk

On November 4, Louise’s legal team submitted post-conviction motions to the trial court. Judge Zobel reduced her conviction to involuntary manslaughter after six days. She has already served 279 days of her sentence in prison.

The prosecution subsequently appealed the decision to overturn the verdict, disputed it, and took the case to the Supreme Court.

Louise won the case by a margin of four to three, allowing the defendant to travel back to the United Kingdom.

Where Is Louise Woodward Now?

Louise Woodward established her own family and lives in freedom today. After being imprisoned for 279 days, she was released and returned to the UK.

She also spoke with Martin Bashir, a journalist with the BBC. She said in the interview that on the evening of February 4, when the infant didn’t seem to be responding, she gave him a little shake.

Louise joined London South Bank University to study law after being freed, and she earned a 2:2 there. After that, she started working for a Manchester law business before switching to teaching dance.

Image Source: –nypost.com

Louise married the owner of a company that rents haulage trucks, and they had a lovely daughter together. After that, she established her school, where she taught jive and salsa.

On February 9, 1997, the suspect was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. Louise was refused bail and kept in a high-security section of the MCI-Framingham prison until the trial began.

At a post-conviction relief hearing on November 10, Judge Zobel dropped the charges of involuntary manslaughter.

He claimed that the defendant acted out of exasperation, immaturity, inexperience, and bewilderment, but not in a way that would support a conviction for second-degree murder.

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