Eugene (KMTR) - The Springfield woman accused of killing her newborn son and throwing his body in the trash took the stand Tuesday in her own defense.
Angelica Swartout talked in great detail about her childhood in a home full of adopted children. She says her father died of cancer when she six or seven, and her mom later married a man who had no patience for children and her life began to unravel.
Swartout says she partied and got in trouble, and spent as much time as possible away from home. She says she was in search of attention she never received at home. "My problems growing up, it seemed to me, were just kind of brushed aside. I was acting out for attention, but, still didn't get that. They would say, you're just doing it for attention, but I was still ignored."
Swartout says she would spend a lot of time in a juvenile facility, and preferred being there over home.
Prosecutors say Swartout had a baby in 2010, and dumped it in a trash can. The child's body was never found.
Swartout claims she was never pregnant, and lied during a taped confession.
