Woman Who Killed 18-Month-Old Foster Kid In A 'Vicious Animalistic Attack' Pleads Guilty

A woman from Minnesota has admitted to beating her foster baby to death during an attack that happened last year.

Kellie Jo Anderson, 36, of Barnesville, pleaded guilty Monday to a second-degree felony murder charge for killing 18-month-old Henry Thomas Anderson "without intent" at her home on April 23, 2020.

In exchange for the plea agreement, the court dismissed the original second-degree murder charge against Anderson, reported Inforum.

Prosecutors described the attack on the baby as a "vicious, animalistic assault." "There was not a part on Henry's body that wasn't bruised," Pamela Foss, who is prosecuting the case, said.

The baby boy was "blue and lifeless with bruising to the face and head" when he was brought to the hospital on April 23, 2020, the court documents said as per West Central Tribune.

Anderson, who was a nurse, initially told the investigators that the child "self-injures" himself by throwing himself around. According to her, the baby boy "threw himself several times from the bath to the toilet" while she was giving him a bath on that day. She said that the boy possibly had a seizure in the bathtub.

However, Anderson's husband told investigators that Henry had no injuries when he last saw the child the night before. He also said the child did not usually throw himself around and never had a seizure in the past.

Medical examination revealed that the child had been dead for around 40 minutes when he was taken to the hospital. The child had a cut on the inside of his lip and on his genitals. He also had numerous bruises on his back and side, a small bump on the back of his head and multiple marks on his face, court documents said further.

Anderson told the court Monday that she had kept Henry away from his day-care on that day as he had been running a fever. She claimed that she could not remember the exact sequence of events as she was on a medication that clouded her memory.

However, Anderson admitted that she had noticed a cut in Henry's mouth. It would not stop bleeding, which made her frustrated, so she began hitting the child multiple times, she confessed.

"I don't know exactly why I did what I did," Anderson said. "I don't know why I reacted like that."

Anderson and her husband were planning to adopt Henry, who was born with methamphetamine in his system. The child had been given up voluntarily by his mother who is related to Anderson's husband. Anderson's husband was not charged.

The court has scheduled Anderson's sentencing for June 18. She is likely to be sentenced to 35 years in jail.