Megan Huntsman child murders
{{Short description|Serial killings committed by Meghan Huntsman}}
From 1996 to 2006, Meghan Huntsman, an American woman, murdered six of her newborn children shortly after giving birth to them in Utah.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32390814|title=Utah woman Meghan Huntsman jailed for killing babies|date=April 20, 2015|work=BBC News}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/21/us/utah-mom-sentenced-baby-deaths/index.html|title=Utah mom admits killing 6 babies after giving birth|first=Ed|last=Payne|date=April 21, 2015|website=CNN}}{{Cite news|url=https://abc7.com/dead-babies-garage-utah-woman-arrested-found-in-megan-huntsman/28265/|title=Babies killed by mother after birth in Utah home, police say|website=ABC7 Los Angeles}}
The serial infanticide was discovered in April 2014 when Huntsman's ex-husband Darren West began cleaning out the garage of the Pleasant Grove house he once shared with her.{{Cite web |last=Carroll |first=Linda |date=15 April 2014 |title=How Could She? Mother Accused in Deaths of Infants |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/better/wellness/how-could-she-mother-accused-deaths-infants-n80276 |access-date=2022-08-20 |website=NBC News |language=en}} While moving several boxes, West discovered a small white box, wrapped in plastic, containing the small, decomposing body of a baby. Appalled by his discovery, he contacted authorities. His ex-wife Meghan was brought in after admitting to him that she had given birth and put the infant's stillborn body in the garage. During this interview she admitted first to four, before finally stating she did not know how many there might be, at one point saying "eight or nine". Meghan stated she had "choked" all the infants, with the exception of one stillborn. In the end police discovered six more bodies, one of which was later confirmed in an autopsy to not have been murdered but was stillborn. After the full investigation it was determined that the babies were Darren West's children, but that Meghan Huntsman, unbeknownst to him, had murdered them minutes after they were delivered.{{Cite web|url=https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/us-news/2022/05/03/6271445ee2704eecae8b4578.html|title=Meghan Huntsman: Is there a documentary on Netflix about this murderous mom?|date=May 3, 2022|website=MARCA}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/us/one-mother-7-dead-newborns-and-a-stunned-community-in-utah.html|title=One Mother, 7 Dead Newborns and a Stunned Community in Utah|first1=Jack|last1=Healy|first2=Serge F.|last2=Kovaleski|newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 27, 2014}}{{Cite web|url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=57814129&itype=CMSID|title=Police find seven dead babies in Utah County home|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}
Perpetrator
{{Infobox serial killer
| name = Megan Huntsman
| image =
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|2|26}}
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| spouse = {{marriage|Darren West|end=divorced}}
| conviction = First degree murder
| sentence = 30 years to life imprisonment
| victims = 6
| beginyear = 1996
| endyear = 2006
| country = United States
| states = Utah
| apprehended = April 2014
| imprisoned = Utah State Correctional Facility{{cite web | url=https://www.ksl.com/article/34851586/woman-serving-15-to-life-for-killing-6-babies-ineligible-for-parole-until-2064 | title=Woman serving 15 to life for killing 6 babies ineligible for parole until 2064 |work=ksl.com |date=May 29, 2015}}{{cite web | url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/courts/2015/04/21/utah-woman-who-killed-six-of-her-newborns-sentenced-to-prison/ | title=Utah woman who killed six of her newborns sentenced to prison |date= April 21, 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Reavy |first1=Pat |title=Mother who killed 6 babies won't get chance at parole until 2064 |url=https://www.deseret.com/2015/5/29/20565710/mother-who-killed-6-babies-won-t-get-chance-at-parole-until-2064 |access-date=21 August 2022 |publisher=Deseret News |date=29 May 2015}}{{cite web | url=https://corrections.utah.gov/offender-search/ | title=Offender Search }}
| criminal_status = Incarcerated
}}
Megan Huntsman (born February 26, 1975) grew up in Pleasant Grove as the oldest child of an industrial painter and a mother who worked at a grocery store, among other jobs. She was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but had not been active by the time of her arrest according to her uncle Larry Huntsman {{citationneeded|date=July 2024}}. Megan Huntsman attended Pleasant Grove High School during which she met her future husband Darren West whom she married in April 1993 shortly after turning 18.{{cite web | url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/state/2014/04/26/one-mother-7-dead-newborns/37498928007/ | title=One mother, 7 dead newborns and a stunned community in Utah }}{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42039257/huntsman-and-west-marriage/ | title=Huntsman and West marriage | newspaper=The Pleasant Grove Review | date=April 7, 1993 | page=4 }} Their marriage eventually decayed into substance abuse and violence and West eventually was convicted of methamphetamine-related charges and was imprisoned between 2006 and 2014.{{cite web | url=https://www.twincities.com/2014/04/25/town-family-wonder-how-woman-hid-7-pregnancies/ | title=Town, family wonder how woman hid 7 pregnancies | date=April 25, 2014 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dna-ids-father-of-6-newborns-allegedly-killed-by-utah-mom/ | title=DNA ID's father of 6 newborns allegedly killed by Utah mom |date=July 9, 2014| website=CBS News }}{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-megan-huntsman-sentenced-20150420-story.html | title=Utah mother gets maximum sentence for murdering six of her babies | website=Los Angeles Times | date=April 20, 2015 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2014/07/utah_mom_megan_huntsman_killed.html | title=Utah mom Megan Huntsman killed 6 babies because too busy doing meth, police say | date=July 9, 2014 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/nation-world/2015/04/21/utah-meth-addict-gets-life/34727845007/ | title=Utah meth addict gets life in prison for killing her newborns }}
Murders
Huntsman committed all of her murders either by strangulation or suffocation then hid the bodies in boxes in her garage.{{Cite news|url=https://www.tuscaloosanews.com/story/news/nation-world/2014/04/14/utah-mom-admits-to-strangling-or-suffocating-her-babies-immediately-after-they-were-born-police-say/29922829007/|title=Utah mom admits to strangling or suffocating her 6 babies immediately after they were born, police say|website=The Tuscaloosa News}} Police said Huntsman had been a heavy methamphetamine user and "didn't want the babies".{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32390814 | title=Utah woman Megan Huntsman jailed for killing babies | work=BBC News | date=April 20, 2015 }}{{cite web | url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=58161441&itype=CMSID |date=July 9, 2014 | title=Police say meth use was motive for Pleasant Grove mom to kill babies }} She also said she committed one of the murders when her husband and her brother and sister were in the house watching television.{{cite web | url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2656348&itype=CMSID | title=Utah husband denied knowing of 7 dead babies in garage | date=June 23, 2015}} Megan Huntsman's first three children were not murdered and were alive at the time her crimes were discovered.
Legal proceedings
On February 12, 2015, Huntsman pled guilty to six counts of first-degree felony murder.{{cite web | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/megan-huntsman-utah-mom-accused-of-killing-6-babies-pleads-guilty/ | title=Utah mom pleads guilty to killing 6 babies | date=February 12, 2015 | website=CBS News }}{{cite web | url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2172633&itype=CMSID | title=Utah woman pleads guilty to killing six of her newborns | date=February 12, 2015}}{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-megan-huntsman-guilty-murder-20150212-story.html | title=Utah mother pleads guilty to murdering six of her babies | website=Los Angeles Times | date=February 12, 2015 }} On April 20, Huntsman was sentenced to six counts of 5 years-to-life in prison with three counts to be served consecutively and three counts to be served concurrently.{{cite web | url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/courts/2015/04/21/utah-woman-who-killed-six-of-her-newborns-sentenced-to-prison/ | title=Utah woman who killed six of her newborns sentenced to prison |date= April 21, 2015}}