Retrial to Begin for Seal Beach Mom Accused of Murdering her Baby

A 34-year-old Seal Beach woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter and abusing the victim's twin is scheduled to begin her second trial today.

Earlier this year an Orange County Superior Court judge declared a mistrial in the case against Linda Wilborn. Judge Richard Toohey granted the mistrial after Wilborn's defense attorney objected to the prosecution’s use of a medical article indicating it would be possible for Wilbon to have squeezed her daughter so tightly she tore the toddler’s heart.

Wilborn, faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of murdering her daughter 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 year, 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.