Burnsville Woman Who Drowned Infant Has Sentence Commuted: Report

BURNSVILLE, MN — A Burnsville woman who was convicted of drowning her newborn in 2005 will now be able to serve the rest of her sentence under supervised release, according to a report by The St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The Minnesota Board of Pardons voted unanimously on Monday to commute the sentence of Samantha Heiges, 35, the report said.

Heiges told the Board that if her sentence was commuted she would be able to help raise her living daughter, according to the report.

At a previous Board meeting, Heiges said she was in an abusive relationship and the newborn's father threatened to kill her and the newborn if she didn't drown the baby, the publication reported. The man had injured Heiges in the past in an attempt to terminate the pregnancy, the report said.

You can read the full story at The St. Paul Pioneer Press.