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The memorial for baby Mateo outside the Bloomington hotel. (FOX 9)
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) – A Hennepin County judge sentenced a woman who drowned her baby in a bathtub and disposed of the body in a hotel dumpster to more than 30 years in prison on Thursday.
The sentencing:
Esperanza Rae Harding, 21, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of her 8-month-old child at a Bloomington hotel on Feb. 28, 2024.
She pleaded guilty to the charge in December 2024, and was sentenced on March 6 to 384 months, or 32 years, in prison with credit for 366 days served.  
Her boyfriend, Edin Trudeau, entered a guilty plea in February 2025 to aiding an accomplice after the fact. His sentencing is scheduled for early May, according to court records.
"My thoughts are with Mateo’s family today," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. "This was a heartbreaking case and while Ms. Harding is being held accountable, it does not return Mateo to his family or offer him the life he should have had the chance to live."
READ MORE: Heartbreaking memorial honors baby killed at Bloomington hotel
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, Harding told investigators she was trying to take a bath when her son started crying in the other room. She claimed that she was "upset she could not enjoy her bath."
Harding allegedly explained how she drowned her child in the bathtub and "wrapped up his body, put it in a backpack, and threw it in a dumpster," the charges read.  
Authorities recovered cell phone evidence, including a picture of the child in the tub allegedly taken after the incident and text messages Harding sent to then-18-year-old Trudeau, whom she claimed to have been dating, according to court records. 
"I’m about to do something bad, Please answer me, He going to no be here much longer," Harding allegedly texted Trudeau, to which he responded, "OK that’s OK," charges read. When Harding texted again that the child was dead and that she was sorry, he allegedly responded, "Don’t Be." 
Harding claims Trudeau came over to the hotel room, and they tried CPR, but it did not work. No one called 911 for help, and charges allege Trudeau suggested Harding bring the child to the dumpster and act as if she was throwing the trash out.  
The criminal complaint filed in March 2024 indicated the infant's body had not been found.
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