The Mother Convicted of Killing Her Newborn Twins: Lindsey B. Lowe
On September 12, 2011, Lindsey Lowe gave birth to twin boys. Two days later, she was arrested for smothering the newborns.
What happened and why?
Lindsey Brooke Lowe was born on August 29, 1986, to Paula and Mark Lowe. According to Mark, Lindsey was a “model daughter” who was involved in the swim team and dance and was part of their church’s praise band and choir. Her family described her as well-behaved and “meek”.
Lindsey attended Goodpasture Christian School, a private K12 school, in Madison, Tennessee, and enrolled in Western Kentucky University. While at college, Lindsey met and started dating Jonathan Brooks.
In 2005, Paula Lowe developed benign brain cancer, and after her surgery to remove the tumor, required assistance with daily tasks. Lindsey, who had become engaged to Jonathan, was helping her mother on the weekends.
After graduating from Western Kentucky University in 2008, Lindsey moved back into her parent’s home to continue assisting her mother.
In April 2010, Lindsey met Jeremy Smith, a friend of her cousin’s husband. The two hit it off and had a brief affair in January 2011. According to Jeremy, they had sex multiple times, once without any protection or birth control.
It is unknown when Lindsey discovered she was pregnant, as she reportedly didn’t seek any medical care related to her pregnancy. According to her father, the family was completely unaware of her pregnancy and she did not appear pregnant. Lacey, Lindsey’s younger sister, also stated that she had no knowledge of her sister’s pregnancy despite their close relationship.
On the night of September 12, 2011, Lindsey went into labor at home. She reportedly went into the bathroom, sat on the toilet, and gave birth to a baby boy. According to Lindsey, she placed her hand over the newborn’s mouth to stop him from crying and waking her parents. Eventually, the baby stopped crying. A few minutes later, Lindsey gave birth to the second twin. She again covered the baby’s mouth with her hand, until he stopped crying.
She then placed both babies into her laundry basket and covered them with blankets. Lindsey reportedly cleaned up the bathroom and herself and didn’t tell anyone about the babies.
On September 14, 2011, while Lindsey was at work, Paula Lowe went into her daughter's room and discovered the first baby’s body in the laundry basket. According to court documents, a panicked Paula yelled for her husband to come to Lindsey’s room.
After making the gruesome discovery, Mark told authorities, he called an attorney friend and then their pastor, before calling the police. While one officer was sent to pick up Lindsey from her job at a dental office for questioning, another was sent to the Lowe’s home in the Mansker Farms subdivision.
During questioning, police officers learned that Lindsey had given birth to twins, prompting a search of the home in hopes of finding the second twin alive. However, he was later also found in the laundry basket, underneath his brother, covered by blankets.
The same day, Lindsey was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. She was released on a $250,000 bond.
On September 25, 2011, the twin brothers, Mark Alvin Michael Lowe and Paul Duvoll Tate Lowe were laid to rest.
Weeks after being released on bond, Lindsey reportedly tested positive for benzodiazepine, known as the brand name Valium. Based on the results, the prosecution requested her bond be revoked. However, after her father explained to the judge that he had given her the Valium on the day of the twin’s funeral, she was allowed to remain at home.
Initially, Lindsey had told investigators that the father of the babies was her fiance, Jonathan Brooks, whom she had not told about the pregnancy. However, on October 26, 2011, a DNA test revealed that the father was Jeremy Smith.
On November 18, 2011, Lindsey pleaded not guilty to the charges of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of premeditated murder, and two counts of aggravated child abuse. The prosecution also announced they would not be seeking the death penalty in her case.
After 18 months, on March 12, 2013, Lindsey’s trial began. During the trial, the District Attorney told the jury that Lindsey had admitted to police that she had placed her hand over the babies’ mouths. Her defense attorney suggested that Lindsey actually didn’t exactly recall what had happened and that police had “planted the idea that she had smothered the babies”.
Dr. William Kenner told the court that Lindsey had “refused to accept” her pregnancy because she suffered from “pregnancy denial” and didn’t know she was pregnant until she gave birth. He also explained that Lindsey suffered from PTSD, dissociation, and severe depression.
Pregnancy denial, sometimes referred to as “denial of pregnancy”, is a phenomenon where a person is unaware of or refuses to acknowledge that they’re pregnant. While not classified as a mental illness in itself, it can be linked to severe psychological conditions or high levels of stress.
Dr. John Huston, however, testified that Lindsey was not suffering from dissociation nor “pregnancy denial” as she had made several Google searches relating to pregnancy and labor. According to court records, Lindsey searched “things to make you go into labor” and “how to make yourself go into labor” only days before she gave birth to the twins.
Dr. Huston also stated that the PTSD Lindsey was experiencing was caused by her own actions on the night of September 12, 2011, and not from her childhood as Dr. Kenner had suggested.
On March 15, 2013, Lindsey’s attorney requested a mistrial after the prosecution had brought up her Google search history before she gave birth. The request was denied, and on March 20, 2013, Lindsey Lowe was convicted of two counts of felony murder, two counts of premeditated murder, and two counts of aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to life in prison on two counts, with the sentences running concurrently. She would be eligible for parole at age 77.
Appeals filed in 2016 and 2018 were denied by Tennessee courts.
On September 5, 2019, Lindsey argued in an appeal that she didn’t receive a fair trial as one juror had allegedly lied about knowing about her case and had admitted to already having formed an opinion about her guilt before the trial. She also alleged that she received poor legal representation.
Although her appeal was filed 35 days after the deadline, the judge who presided over her case decided to hear it, finding that Lindsey had been “misled by four of her attorneys” regarding when to file her appeal.
On October 18, 2022, the same judge granted Lindsey Lowe a new trial due to juror bias, and she was released from prison on bond.
On June 7, 2024, while Lindsey was awaiting her new trial, the Tennessee Court of Appeals reinstated her murder convictions, reversing the 2022 decision to grant her a new trial due to juror bias. Her bond was set to $75,000 and she bonded out the same day. The court reportedly granted her the bond since her attorneys planned to appeal the decision.
However, only four days later, Lindsey’s bond was revoked and she was booked back into a Sumner County jail. She now remains incarcerated at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, formerly known as the Tennessee Prison for Women.
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