Melissa Drexler

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Melissa Drexler (born 1978, a.k.a. "The Prom Mom"), delivered a baby in a restroom stall at her high school prom, and threw the body in the trash before returning to the dance. She pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter, and was sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment. After serving nearly 37 months, she was released on parole. She was given her dubious nickname by the American media.

Drexler attended Lacey Township High School, New Jersey. Over the course of nearly nine months she kept her pregnancy secret from the baby's father, her parents, and her new boyfriend, John T. Lewis, Jr. Five foot seven inches tall, and weighing 130 pounds, she apparently showed no signs of her condition.

On June 6, 1997, the day of her senior prom, the eighteen-year-old's waters broke in the morning, and she later suffered cramps on her way to the banquet hall. On arriving, she retired to the restroom, where the baby was born in about 15–30 minutes. According to her allocution, Drexler then retrieved the baby from the toilet bowl, cut the umbilical cord on the bathroom fixtures, wrapped the baby in several garbage sacks, and deposited the bundle in a trash can. She then went to the dance floor and, according to witnesses, "appeared to be just as she always was" and "exhibited indications of somebody enjoying the prom." Some reports at the time stated that she requested the song "The Unforgiven" by Metallica, but later reports denied this. However, others had alleged that she had eaten a salad and danced afterwards.

The baby was discovered by a janitor, responding to reports of blood in the restroom, who became suspicious of the weight of the trash bag. Emergency workers attempted to resucitate the baby for two hours. Drexler later named the baby Christopher.

Originally charged with murder, Drexler pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter on October 29, 1998, and Judge John A. Ricciardi sentenced her to 15 years in prison, the maximum penalty. On November 26, 2001, she was released on parole after serving little over three years.