US woman faces 20 years to life in baby’s death from morphine overdose in breast milk

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A woman faces 20 years to life in prison when she is sentenced for killing her 6-week-old daughter with what prosecutors say was an overdose of morphine delivered through her breast milk.

A jury found 39-year-old Stephanie Greene guilty of homicide by child abuse Thursday. She will be sentenced at a hearing Friday morning.

A pathologist testified that the infant had what could have been a lethal level of morphine for an adult in her system in November 2010. Prosecutors say Greene hid her pregnancy from her doctors and didn’t tell them she was breast feeding so they would continue prescribing painkillers.

Greene’s lawyer says prosecutors never proved how the baby got the morphine or that heavy doses of the painkiller could pass through breast milk.