Podcast Summary:

Drop Dead Serious with Ashleigh Banfield

Episode: Murder or Panic? Cheerleader's Secret Pregnancy & Shallow Grave | Brooke Skylar Richardson
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Ashleigh Banfield

Episode Overview

Ashleigh Banfield explores the haunting and polarizing case of Brooke Skylar Richardson—a high-achieving Ohio cheerleader who secretly gave birth, buried her newborn in her backyard, and was later tried for aggravated murder. With Banfield’s signature blend of irreverent storytelling and sharp legal analysis, the episode journeys through the mystery, courtroom drama, and societal reactions that defined this case, inviting listeners to question the line between criminal justice and tragic circumstance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Quiet Suburbs Turn Shocking Crime Scene

• Setting: Carlisle, a small Ohio suburb, is described as idyllic and crime-averse—making the crime all the more shocking.

  “This is one of those stories that stops you cold... way too dark and way too suburban to be true.” (Banfield, 01:36)

• Subject: Brooke Skylar Richardson, a senior, cheerleader, and honor student from a respected family, hides a full-term pregnancy from everyone.

2. The Secret Pregnancy

• Discovery: In late April 2017, Skylar visits her OB-GYN for birth control but learns she’s in her third trimester.
• Secrecy:

  “No one, nobody suspected a thing. Not even the baby's father... She kept the entire pregnancy to herself.” (Banfield, 02:09)

• Prom Night Contrasts:

  “If you look at those pictures now, knowing the timeline, it is almost surreal. But that bump is undeniable.” (Banfield, 04:25)

3. The Night of the Birth

• Event: On May 7th, in the early hours, Skylar goes into labor, alone and in pain, delivers the baby in the bathroom.
  • Skylar’s account: The baby was “stillborn, never cried, never moved” and she panicked.
  • She wraps the baby in a towel, digs a shallow grave in the backyard flower bed, and buries her.

  “She told police that she wrapped the baby in a towel and held her for a moment, trying to process what she was seeing.” (Banfield, 06:43)

4. Aftermath & Discovery

• Behavior: Skylar resumes life as normal: graduates, posts on social media, outwardly unchanged.
• Discovery Unravels: Two months later, at a routine doctor visit, she confesses what happened. The doctor, as a mandatory reporter, alerts police.

  “That doctor and the medical staff immediately reported their concerns to law enforcement as they are required to do by law.” (Banfield, 09:33)

• Police Search:

  “Neighbors stood behind fences just watching as dozens of officers brought in shovels and evidence markers... They found... the skeletal remains of a newborn baby girl.” (Banfield, 12:34)

5. Investigation & First Interrogation

• Charges: Skylar is charged with aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter, and additional felonies.
• Interrogation: Initially calm, repeats stillborn narrative. Police reveal possible burning of bones, eventually Skylar confesses under pressure to having used a lighter.

  “She told her father later that she had, ‘tried to cremate the baby just a little.’” (Banfield, 17:33)

• Forensic Failings: No conclusive evidence of fire damage or homicide—burn marks could have been natural soil discoloration.

6. The Trial

• Prosecution’s Case: Asserts Skylar acted to protect her image, killed her baby intentionally, motivated by vanity.

  “‘She cared more about her figure than about the baby... saw her baby not as a person, but as a problem.’” (Banfield, 21:08 - quoting prosecutor David Fornshell)

• Defense’s Case: Insists Skylar was an overwhelmed teenager convinced the baby was stillborn; there’s no forensic proof of murder.

  “This was not a homicide... It was a heartbreak.” (Banfield, 22:11 - quoting defense attorney Charlie Ritkers)

Notable Courtroom Moments

• Skylar called the baby “Annabelle” and told police she buried her “with love.”
• Texts show her expressing relief that “her stomach was finally flat again”—interpreted by prosecution as guilt, by others as confused teenage relief or shock.

7. Medical Evidence and Legal Precedent

• Coroner’s Limitations: Remains too decomposed to confirm cause of death, no proof baby ever lived outside womb.

  “There was no physical evidence tying her to an act of violence. That evidence was just gone.” (Banfield, 18:57)

8. Verdict and Sentencing

• Outcome: Not guilty on murder and manslaughter. Only convicted of abuse of a corpse—sentenced to three years’ probation, no jail.

  “‘I firmly believe that you have been punished enough.’” (Judge, 30:54)

• Reaction: Mixed public outrage and support, with some pointing to race/class privilege and others noting lack of evidence.

9. Aftermath & Reflections

• Skylar’s Life: Became a recluse, endured public demonization, mental health struggles.
• Banfield’s Perspective:

  “If you don't know what it's like to be in that situation, it is unfair to judge... It's wrong to judge. Right. A jury has a duty to go by the evidence, not by their morals or their anger.” (Banfield, 36:24)
  “The law is the law, even when a suspect is young and naive and in over her head.” (Banfield, 38:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the surreal prom night images:

  “The makeup, the corsage, the bright smile, the tight red dress, hugging a body that was far more pregnant than anyone realized.” (04:13)

• On mandatory reporting:

  “Doctors are among a group of people in America who have what's called a duty to report, meaning if they see a crime, they have to report it.” (08:40)

• Skylar’s words during interrogation:

  “I tried to cremate the baby just a little.” (Reported by Banfield, 17:33)

• Prosecutor’s framing:

  “Skylar saw her baby, her daughter, not as a person, but as a problem. He said she delivered the infant alive, heard her cry, and then smothered her to keep anyone from finding out.” (21:12)

• Defense portrait:

  “He described a young woman so desperate to please her parents and so terrified of shame that she made a series of terrible, impulsive choices, but not criminal ones.” (22:23)

• Judge’s closing words:

  “I firmly believe that you have been punished enough.” (30:54)

• Banfield’s own summation:

  “Judging someone when you don’t actually know the truth... it’s wrong to judge.” (36:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Case Introduction: 01:36 – 06:00
• Secret Pregnancy & Prom Night: 03:10 – 05:15
• Birth & Burial Night: 06:10 – 07:45
• Confession and Police Reporting: 09:20 – 12:15
• Crime Scene Discovery: 12:34 – 14:20
• Initial Interrogation & Lighter Confession: 16:00 – 18:20
• Legal Proceedings & Medical Evidence: 19:55 – 27:00
• Trial Testimony and Verdict: 27:01 – 30:54
• Judge’s Sentencing Statement: 30:54 – 31:15
• Banfield’s Reflections: 36:00 – 38:40

Tone & Style

Banfield maintains a candid and analytical tone, balancing empathy for the accused with a clear-eyed discussion of forensic uncertainty, public outcry, and the demands of justice. Anecdotes, courtroom drama, and poignant reflections about motherhood, mental health, and legal process are woven throughout.

Summary Takeaway

This episode thoughtfully dissects the many ambiguities and emotional tensions of the Brooke Skylar Richardson case, laying bare the limits of forensic evidence and the enduring social debate over teenage motherhood, responsibility, and justice. Banfield urges listeners not to leap to judgment where evidence is undetermined, spotlighting the very human tragedy at the heart of the legal spectacle.