A woman accused of giving birth in a sports bar bathroom, wrapping the newborn in a plastic bag and hiding him in a toilet tank wants to prevent prosecutors from using her medical records and journal as evidence during her trial.
The Express-Times said defense attorney Michael Corriere argued in court papers Friday that police didn't have a search warrant to take Amanda Hein's possessions and they should be barred as evidence.
The 27-year-old Allentown woman is charged with criminal homicide.
Authorities say Hein was with three men at Starters Pub in Lower Saucon Township the night of Aug. 18 when she excused herself to go to the restroom and then gave birth.
Next Hein allegedly suffocated the newborn with a plastic bag and then put the baby in the tank of a toilet in the woman's restroom.
A cleaning crew found her son's body in the toilet on Aug. 19 at the pub in Bethlehem, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia. A coroner concluded the boy was born alive.
Northampton County prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty. The trial is set for April.
Pennsylvania is one of 49 states that offer mothers safe -- and legal -- alternatives to abandoning their babies. The Safe Haven Law allows parents to relinquish babies at any hospital in the state without fear of criminal prosecution, provided that the child is unharmed.
Starters Pub is a popular spot in the Lehigh Valley and served as a landmark location for Eagles fans headed up to training camp since its founding in 2000 until the team moved training camp back to Philly this season.
