Esperanza Rae Harding, a 21-year-old mother, was sentenced to 32 years in prison on Thursday for the second-degree intentional murder of her 8-month-old son, Mateo. Harding confessed to authorities that she drowned her son in a hotel bathtub in Bloomington, Minnesota, on February 28, 2024, because his crying was disturbing her bath.
Harding’s boyfriend, 19-year-old Edwin Cosmo Trudeau, was also implicated in the crime. Text messages exchanged between the couple revealed that Harding had communicated her intention to harm the child to Trudeau, who failed to dissuade her. Instead, he responded with a chilling, “Ok that’s ok.”
Trudeau’s involvement didn’t stop at his failure to prevent the crime. After Harding informed him that Mateo was dead, Trudeau visited the hotel room where he found the deceased child. Rather than alerting authorities, Trudeau engaged in sexual activity with Harding and left the scene. Harding later confessed to investigators that Trudeau had attempted to perform CPR on the child before their encounter.
Harding also revealed to authorities that Trudeau had expressed his dislike for the baby and had suggested she put the child up for adoption. She claimed that Trudeau wanted her to prove that he was her top priority.
The tragic end to Mateo’s life came when Harding packed his body into a backpack and discarded it in a dumpster in the hotel parking lot. She admitted to authorities that she knew she would face jail time for her actions.
Both Harding and Trudeau pleaded guilty to their respective charges. However, Trudeau’s sentence is expected to be significantly less severe than Harding’s. As part of his plea deal for aiding an offender and being an accomplice after the fact, his sentence is capped at seven years and two months. Trudeau’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5.