PORT ANGELES — Lauryn L. Last, 19, pled guilty Wednesday to a juvenile court charge of second-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of her infant son and will not serve time in juvenile detention — or prison.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Ken Williams accepted a plea deal hammered out between county Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Troberg and John and Suzanne Hayden of Clallam County Public Defenders, representing Last, of Port Angeles.
Williams sentenced Last to 30 days in juvenile detention but gave her credit for time served.
She has served nine months in juvenile detention while awaiting trial.
Williams set a restitution hearing for 1:30 p.m. April 20 in Superior Court.
Last was 15 when she was impregnated by an man now serving four years for the assault.
She was 16 when she was charged with first-degree murder in adult court, a charge later downgraded to second-degree murder with a trial date of March 12.
Last told police that after giving birth on the toilet, she let her infant son drown, then concealed the body in bathroom mat.
The body of Last’s infant son was stuffed in a garbage can, his body found in a trash container near a Tacoma landfill, police said.
“After staffing the case extensively, consulting with prosecutors in other jurisdictions and receiving feedback from the public, prosecutors concluded it was highly unlikely a jury would convict Last of murder charges in adult court,” Troberg said in a prepared statement, adding that if Last were found guilty in adult court, the chances of the case surviving appeal “was probably about 50-50.”
“Last still has the task of “erasing her past,” John Hayden said.
“The most important part of this resolution is that it will allow Lauryn to move forward rather than backward.”
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
