Gordon teen sentenced for murdering newborn son

RUSHVILLE, Neb. - An 18-year-old from Gordon has been sentenced to decades in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of her newborn son.

Chloe Coplen-Anderson was sentenced to 35 to 60 years behind bars by Judge Travis O’Gorman in a Rushville courtroom. The judge called it “by a large margin the toughest sentence I’ve done.”

During the sentencing, the defense presented testimony from two witnesses who described the severe domestic and sexual abuse Coplen-Anderson suffered throughout her upbringing. As a result of that trauma, she was diagnosed with multiple mental health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder. The defense also noted that Coplen-Anderson became pregnant at age 15 by a 19-year-old.

“There was nothing good about this case from Chloe’s background and all the abuse she suffered to what happened to the child,” said defense attorney Todd Lancaster.

Prosecutors painted a grim picture of the crime, stating that the newborn suffered 17 stab wounds and that Coplen-Anderson attempted to cover up the act by cleaning the scene and hiding the body in a bag in her closet. They also cited evidence, including internet searches, to argue that she was aware of her pregnancy.

“The victim being such a vulnerable and helpless baby. That makes it difficult,” said Sheridan County Attorney Jamian Simmons. “It was one of those cases that was hard on EMS, law enforcement and first responders because of the nature of that. Then you have the facts of the case. There is a lot of trauma that the defendant herself had gone through in her life that had to be considered. It’s a very, very sad case.”

Both the prosecution and defense expressed hope that the case could serve as a wake-up call to recognize warning signs and intervene before such tragedies occur.

“It was very complex. That’s why we had experts testify,” said Lancaster. “There was lots of stuff going on in Chloe’s life before all of this happened. I hope that one good thing can come from this—that adults pay attention to kids’ lives, so we don’t have to have something like this happen again.”

In closing remarks, Judge O’Gorman acknowledged the sadness of the case and encouraged Coplen-Anderson to take advantage of rehabilitative services while in prison.

He also noted that the crime might have been preventable had adults in her life been more attentive.