Sonia Hermosillo sat in a wheelchair as she appeared before a judge. The 31-year-old is being held in the medical ward of the Orange County Jail since her arrest last week.
"She wants to go home. She wants to be moved within the jail. She doesn't quite understand why she can't go home," said Charles Hasse, Orange County deputy public defender.
Hermosillo is accused of dropping her 7-month-old son, Noe Jr., to the pavement of a parking structure at Children's Hospital of Orange County on Aug. 22.
The boy's father, Noe Medina, said their child suffered medical conditions and had been receiving regular treatments at Children's Hospital.
In a past interview, Noe Medina asked people not to hold a grudge against his wife, saying she didn't know what she was doing. She suffered from postpartum depression.
"I think the evidence is clear. It's going to show that she didn't want to take care of this baby. She wanted to kill this baby," said prosecutor Scott Simmons.
The prosecutor alleges Hermosillo removed a helmet that the boy had to wear for a medical condition before pushing him over the edge. She then allegedly went into the hospital to validate her parking. Police arrested her four hours later as she drove near the hospital.
In court on Monday, Hermosillo did not enter a plea but agreed to have her arraignment continued to Sept. 30.
Simmons says it's not exactly clear why she was in a wheelchair, but it may have helped make it easier for her to get to court.
"She appears like she can walk and talk and move around OK. I think it was just easier for the transportation to getting her into the courtroom," Simmons said.
Hermosillo faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
