More than two years after 1-year-old Millicent was killed, a jury will hear opening arguments today in the murder trial of her mother, Linda Wilborn, 34.
Wilborn, faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of murdering Millicent and severely beating her twin brother at their Seal Beach home. Wilborn remains in custody with her bail set at $1 million.
Earlier this month, her husband, Sergeant First Class Derrick Wilborn, a Seal Beach resident and member of the Los Angeles Medical Recruiting Command based in Long Beach, was tried via general court-martial and sentenced to 90-days of detainment for negligent homicide in the death of his daughter. The military justice panel determined that Derrick Wilborn was guilty of f one count of negligent homicide, one count of child endangerment by culpable negligence resulting bodily harm, and one count of child endangerment by culpable negligence resulting in grievous bodily harm because he knew that his wife was abusing their children but did nothing to intervene.
Seal Beach Police detectives were at the department Christmas party in December of 2009 when the call came in to investigate the death of a baby girl.
According to police, Wilborn, a mother of four, called 911 to report that her daughter was hurt. Millicent was rushed to the hospital, where she died from a ruptured heart. Doctors found that the toddler had fresh and old fractures to her ribs, and an examination of her brother revealed a fractured skull, according to the district attorney’s office. The baby's twin brother had a fractured skull but survived.
Her surviving children were placed in protective custody, and Wilborn remains in jail after pleading not guilty to one count of murder and several counts of child abuse.
