Grand jury may review newborn boy’s death

Prosecutor weighing possible charges

Kaua’i County authorities are deciding whether to officially charge 21-year-old Christine Robles in the death of her infant son last month.

Robles, of Koloa, was arrested by police May 3 and charged with second-degree murder after paramedics found her newborn infant dead in a rice bag.

The tiny corpse was discovered in a trash container outside the house where Robles lives with her parents.

Prosecuting Attorney Mike Soong said his office recently received and is screening the police reports of the incident.

Soong said if his office decides to file charges, which is likely, they will go through the grand jury process. Grand juries are convened once a month on Kaua’i.

“We prefer to go through the preliminary hearing process because it’s quicker. But in a case like this, where we had to wait for medical test results and weren’t ready to proceed right away, we usually go through the grand jury,” Soong explained.

If the case is presented to the grand jury later this month, the panel of citizens will have two choices: Return a “true” bill substantiating charges or return a “no-bill,” which would mean Robles won’t be officially charged.

Grand jury proceedings are closed to the public.

Emergency medics were called to the Robles house around noon on April 30 because she was hemorrhaging. When she was examined at Wilcox Memorial Hospital, according to authorities, one of the doctors asked her, “Where is the baby?”

The young woman denied having recently given birth, and medics and police officers were dispatched back to the house, where the dead newborn was discovered later in the day.

An autopsy conducted by an off-island pathologist determined the cause of death was asphyxiation.

Robles was released the day of her arrest and remains free.

Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net