Daughter of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley on trial, accused of abandoning newborn in cold

CONCORD, N.H. — The trial began Thursday for the daughter of baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley, who is accused of abandoning her baby after giving birth in the woods in subfreezing temperatures on Christmas night in 2022. Attorneys for Alexandra Eckersley, 27, said she didn’t know she was pregnant, thought the child had died, and was suffering from substance use disorder and mental health issues. “Nearly after an hour after she gave birth, she told them a new fact for the first time: The baby was crying when she gave birth,” Gatzoulis said. He said that the defense may discuss Alexandra Eckersley’s mental illness, “but none of that negates her purposeful actions here by lying about where the baby was and leading the search party away from her child for well over an hour.” She has been living full-time with her son and family in Massachusetts since earlier this year.