People v. Ehlert

A jury found defendant, Elizabeth Ehlert, guilty of murder but not eligible for the death penalty. The trial court sentenced defendant to 58 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Defendant appeals from the conviction and the sentence. We reverse and remand for a new trial.

On August 21, 1990, defendant gave birth in her bedroom, in the home she shared with her two sons, her father, and her fiance, Steven King. Two days later employees of the Salt Creek Park District discovered the body of a newborn in a lake in a golf course. Police dubbed the corpse Baby Jane Doe. A creek which ran…