A woman has been sentenced to four years in prison for abandoning her newborn baby, known as "Baby Boy Horry," along a South Carolina highway in 2008. Jennifer Sahr, formerly Jennifer Rickel, was a college student at Coastal Carolina University at the time of the incident. The case remained unsolved for years until Sahr's arrest three years ago. She was living in Pensacola, Florida, with her husband and two young children when apprehended.

Circuit Court Judge Paul Burch delivered a 10-year sentence, suspending four years and crediting Sahr for time served under house arrest. Judge Burch emphasized the well-being of Sahr's two young children as a primary factor in his sentencing decision, expressing hope for their care during her incarceration. Sahr originally faced a potential sentence ranging from two to 30 years for voluntary manslaughter. Last September, she entered an Alford plea, acknowledging the strength of the evidence against her while maintaining her innocence.

The prosecution acknowledged Sahr's positive life trajectory since 2008, including graduating college with honors in 2010 and building a family. However, they argued that a prison sentence was crucial to deter similar acts of infant abandonment. Baby Horry's father, Ronald Woodham III, expressed compassion for Sahr but also stressed the importance of a meaningful consequence for the crime. Sahr's defense attorney argued for probation, asserting that Sahr hadn't known she was pregnant until she gave birth and that imprisonment would not serve as a deterrent in similar unforeseen circumstances.