Woman Jailed for Throwing Son Off Balcony

(Santa Cruz County, California) A 21-year-old mother, Rita Sativa Kraft, is in the county jail awaiting formal arraignment on charges of attempted murder and inflicting injury on a child under the age of five.

Kraft is accused of throwing her 18-month-old son, Connor, off of a 21-foot balcony last September. Connor suffered multiple skull and facial fractures.

The boy, who suffered significant brain trauma, was unconscious and not breathing after landing on the packed dirt below the balcony.

He was resuscitated by a housemate who had medical training, then airlifted to a trauma center over the hill.

The child has since been released from the hospital into his father's custody. Doctors say it may be some time before the full extent of his brain injuries are known.

The incident was initially thought to be an accident but, in October, Kraft confessed to her counselor that she threw the boy off the balcony and the counselor alerted the police. As a result, Kraft was arrested.

This week, Kraft waived her right to a preliminary hearing, saying it would be too emotional for her. Kraft remains in jail with her arraignment scheduled for January 14.

Defense attorney Jon Minsloff indicated that Kraft suffers from postpartum depression and has a history of mental illness in her family.