Mothers And Killers

The Washington courtroom was crowded and tense as the prosecutor bored in on Latrena Pixley, a young mother who sat emotionless on the witness stand. "You carried your first child for nine months, held him in your arms and then gave him away. You carried your second child for nine months, held him in your arms, and you haven't seen him for six years. You carried your third child for nine months, held her in your arms and then killed her. Right?" Pixley looked up blankly, paused and answered, "Yes."

Despite hearing that damning litany, District of Columbia superior court...