A Nebraska teen has been sentenced to 90 days in prison for having an illegal late abortion at home before burning and burying the remains.
Celeste Burgess, 19, pleaded guilty to one charge in May of removing, concealing or leaving the dead body as part of a plea deal in Madison County District Court.
On Thursday, court cameras showed her crying as she was handcuffed and led to the cells by an officer in a poignant eight-second clip.
Her mother Jessica Burgess helped the teen, who was 17 at the time, abort the baby nearly six months into her pregnancy – and the 42-year-old has also pleaded guilty to performing an illegal abortion, falsely reporting and tampering with human remains.
Celeste was at least 23 weeks pregnant when she took an abortion pill last April to induce a stillbirth, when the legal limit in Nebraska was 20 weeks — which has since been reduced to 12 weeks.
Celeste Burgess, 19, cried in court as she was led to jail in handcuffs after being sentenced to 90 days behind bars for her illegal abortion at age 17 when the fetus was at least 23 weeks old
Jessica Burgess, 41, (right) was charged with three felonies and two misdemeanor charges after helping her daughter perform an abortion at home
The court judge sentenced Celeste to three months in prison for the illegal 23-week abortion last April, when the legal limit in Nebraska was 20 weeks. This was reduced to 12 weeks in a Republican-backed bill passed in May this year
The teen’s medical records showed she was 23 weeks pregnant at the time with a due date of July 3, while prosecutors alleged the newborn was terminated at 30 weeks, according to News channel Nebraska.
During their investigation, officials also discovered Facebook posts between the mother-daughter duo discussing abortion pills.
Tanner Barnhill, 22, was also charged with helping the couple dispose of the fetus.
Norfolk police launched an investigation into the Burgess family in April after receiving a tip that Celeste had miscarried and buried the body.
When officials interviewed Celeste, she claimed she had a miscarriage sometime after midnight on April 22, according to an affidavit obtained by KMTV.
She told police she told her mother what had happened, wrapped up the fetus and put it in a box in the back of a van.
Jessica and Celeste drove to an estate north of Norfolk, said to have belonged to Barnhill’s parents, and buried the body.
The affidavit does not specify when the funeral took place, but notes that Barnhill helped with the task.
On April 29, Barnhill showed investigators where the fetus was buried and told authorities that Jessica and Celeste had tried to burn it before burying it.
When officials exhumed the body, it showed signs of “thermal injuries.”
During their investigation, officials also discovered Facebook posts between the mother-daughter duo discussing abortion pills.
Celeste Burgess, 17, claims she suffered a stillbirth on April 22 in the bathroom of her family’s home in Nebraska. Investigators say she reportedly took an abortion pill when she was 23 weeks pregnant
During their investigation, officials also discovered Facebook posts between the mother-daughter duo discussing abortion pills
The messages – sent on April 20, two days before the alleged stillbirth – revealed that Jessica had advised her daughter about taking the pills.
Celeste reportedly stated she couldn’t wait to get the “thing” out of her body, adding, “I’ll finally be able to wear jeans.”
Jessica confirmed that they would “burn the evidence afterwards.”
Both women were charged in June with removing, concealing or leaving behind a dead human body – a felony.
They were also hit with felony charges of concealing another person’s death and false reporting.
A month later, the Madison County Attorney added two more felonies against Jessica: performing or attempting an abortion after more than 20 weeks and performing an abortion as an unlicensed physician.
Prosecutor Joseph Smith said it was the first time in his 32-year career with the county that he had filed this suit.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a case like this,” he said The Lincoln Journal star.
“Usually abortions are performed in hospitals and doctors are involved, and it’s not the kind of thing that happened in this case.”
Lowering the abortion limit in Nebraska from 20 weeks to 12 weeks sparked furious protests across the state
Pictured: Hundreds of people descend on the Nebraska Capitol in Lincoln on May 16, 2023 to protest plans by conservative lawmakers in the Nebraska Legislature to revive an abortion ban, which has since been passed into law
When Burgess pleaded guilty in May, prosecutors dropped two counts.
The abortion limit in Nebraska was reduced from 20 weeks to 12 weeks in May this year, wrapped up in a bill that also restricts gender-affirming medical care for people under 19.
Signed by Nebraska Republican Governor Jim Pillen, the abortion ban took effect immediately, while the ban on gender-affirming care goes into effect Oct. 1.
The hybrid measure ties in restrictions that Republicans in the US have pursued
Pillen called the law “the most significant victory for the social-conservative agenda in more than a generation of Nebraska” before signing the law while holding the five-day-old daughter of some friends while his two oldest granddaughters stood beside him.
“It’s about protecting our children and saving babies. Pure and simple,’ he said.
The abortion limit in Nebraska was lowered from 20 to 12 weeks in May this year, in a bill signed by Nebraska Republican Governor Jim Pillen (pictured, center)
Opponents have promised to file a lawsuit to try to block the law.
The head of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, Mindy Rush Chipman, said in a statement that “every option is on the table to reverse these regressive measures.”
“The governor’s decision to sign these sweeping restrictions into law reflects utter disregard for the liberty, health and welfare of Nebraskans,” said Rush Chipman.
“As we’ve seen in other states, these bans will result in significant harm, with already vulnerable communities most harmed.”
Nebraska hadn’t passed another abortion ban since 2010, when it became the first state to limit the procedure to about 20 weeks of gestation.
The 12-week ban includes exceptions for rape, incest and to save the mother’s life.