Mahwah Parents Indicted On Murder Charge In Newborn's Death

MAHWAH, NJ — Township parents were indicted on murder charges in the suffocation death of their 4-month-old son last year, authorities announced.

William Herring, 42 and Brianna Brochhausen, 23, were indicted by a Burlington County grand jury, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced Tuesday. They were each indicted on first-degree murder and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Coffina said.

The grand jury returned the indictment Thursday. They were slated to be arraigned in Burlington County Superior Court.

Related: Mahwah Couple Charged With Murdering Their 4-Month-Old Son

Herring and Brochhausen were living at the Hilltop Motel on Route 68 in Springfield Township in 2018. Paremedics and Springfield police officers responded to the motel on Feb. 14, 2018 on a report of an infant who had stopped breathing, Coffina said.

An investigation revealed that Herring and Brochhausen were frustrated because their son, Hunter, would not stop crying and placed in a "time out," Coffina said.

The baby was put on his stomach on a bed and a comforter was put over him, covering his head and his whole body, Coffina said.

Herring and Brochhausen then went outside to smoke and went back to the room 10 minutes later when they saw that the baby was not breathing and unresponsive, Coffina said.

The baby was taken to Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, where he remained until he was removed from life support on March 3, 2018, the New Jersey State Police and Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced when Herring and Brochhausen were arrested at their Mahwah home.

Parents Anonymous of New Jersey offers parent support groups, and provides a 24-hour family helpline to listen to parents' concerns and provide referral and crisis intervention information, Coffina said. The phone number is 1-800-843-5437 or online at pofnj.com.

New Jersey also has a safe haven law that allows parents to anonymously surrender a newborn baby at any hospital emergency room, police station, fire station, or rescue squad that is staffed 24 hours a day, the prosecutor said. For more information, visit njsafehaven.org.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com