It looks like Alexis Avila’s day in court may be just around the corner in December. Avila is the 18-year-old teen mother who is accused of throwing her newborn into a dumpster on January 7 of this year in freezing weather conditions.
The baby was wrapped in a dirty, pink blanket and placed in a trash bag. The incident happened behind Rig Outfitters in Hobbs.
According to a news report from Albuquerque’s KRQE television station, attorneys from both sides agreed in court on Tuesday, November 15, that they would be ready to go to trial in mid-December. “The state and Avila’s attorney have a tentative start date of December 19,” states KRQE.
The incident spurred outrage in the community which ultimately led to the City of Hobbs approving the first “Safe Haven” baby box in the county. The box will be installed at Hobbs Fire Station #1.
Avila’s attorney left the possibility of the need to file for an extension on the table but said that such a need is unlikely.
The baby, named Saul, endured freezing temperatures in the dumpster for some six hours before dumpster divers found him. After being rescued and receiving emergency medical care, the child survived and is now in the care and custody of his father.
Avila had previously requested visitiation to see the young baby, but this request was denied by a district court judge.
One of the doctors at Covenant Health Hobbs first to observe the baby after his rescue on that cold day in January, according to an article posted at EverythingLubbock.com, “…testified the baby was blue, lethargic, and had a heart rate less than half of normal when he arrived in an ambulance.”
The child’s father has stated that he did not know that Avila was pregnant. Avila, herself, has also stated that she was unaware of her pregnancy until January 6 “…when she sought medical attention because she was suffering from abdominal pain and constipation,” then Acting Hobbs Police Chief August Fons stated in a January 2022 press conference.
Avila will be tried for Attempted First Degree Murder and Felony Abuse of a Child.
