Scott Richardson

It became difficult for the family to even leave the house.

Prominent local defense attorneys, Charlie M. Rickers and his father, Charlie H., say this is a case of a false confession.

And then, as both sides prepared for trial, Dr. Elizabeth Murray, the forensic anthropologist who reported the remains were burned, retracted her initial assessment after taking another look at the bones.

She now said they showed no sign whatsoever of incineration or burning.

And yet, nothing changed in the prosecutor's approach.

Because in the interrogation, Schuyler admitted that she tried to cremate the remains, Vornschel refuses to back down or correct the record.

But has that affected the way people see this case?

Skylar was fitted with an ankle bracelet and placed under house arrest.

She spent much of her time reading books,

and hanging out with her dogs.

In the backyard under a pine tree, her parents placed an angel ornament to mark the spot where Skylar once buried the baby she called Annabelle.

As 12 months passed, Schuyler's plans to attend the University of Cincinnati were put on hold.

The defense filed a motion to move the trial to a different county, but the request was denied.

Then, in July 2019, the state approached Schuyler's lawyers with an unexpected offer.

Faced with the possibility of life without parole, the Richardsons knew they had a terrible dilemma.

But in the end, the decision was Skylar's to make.

That's got to be, though, weighing on both of you.

The idea that whether she goes to prison for the rest of her life is in your hands.

On September 3rd, 2019, despite concerns of a tainted jury pool, a 12-person jury is seated after a single day of voir dire.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Knippin delivered his opening statement with a jaw-dropping quote from a text that Skylar Richardson sent to her mom.