A Minnesota woman has been sentenced to 32 years in prison after pleading guilty to drowning her infant son in a hotel bathtub and discarding his body in a dumpster.
Hennepin County Judge Juan Hoyos delivered the sentence on Thursday to 21-year-old Esperanza Rae Harding, who pleaded guilty in December to second-degree murder in the death of her son, Mateo.
Hospital Visit Raises Suspicion
According to court records, Harding visited Children’s Hospital in Minnesota on March 6, 2024, claiming that her child had died there on March 1. However, hospital staff and the medical examiner had no record of the infant.
When police questioned Harding, she confessed that she had drowned Mateo in a Bloomington hotel room on Feb. 28, 2024, before disposing of his body.
Boyfriend Allegedly Pressured Harding to Get Rid of the Child
Harding revealed that her boyfriend, Edwin Trudeau, did not like her son and wanted her to give him up for adoption to prove he was her priority.
Text messages included in the criminal complaint show Harding texting Trudeau while her son was crying: “I’m about to do something bad. Please answer me. He going to not be here much longer.”
When Trudeau returned to the hotel, he reportedly told Harding to put Mateo’s body in a bag and throw him out. He also warned her to keep quiet, telling her, “If you go down, I go down no matter what.”
Boyfriend Faces Sentencing in May
Trudeau pleaded guilty on Feb. 24 to aiding an offender. Under a plea deal, he is expected to receive an 86-month prison sentence when he appears in court on May 5.
