A Seal Beach mother was sentenced today, Friday, Dec. 7, to serve 25 years to life in state prison for murdering one of her 23-month-old twins by rupturing the baby’s heart and injuring the other twin by causing a skull fracture.
Linda Wilborn, 34, Seal Beach, was found guilty by a jury Oct. 16, 2012, of one felony count of second degree murder, one felony count of assault on a child with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in death, and two felony counts of child abuse.
Linda Wilborn will be eligible for parole in 25 years.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, at the time of the crime, Wilborn had four young children, including 23-month-old twins Millicent and John Doe. Between Oct. 17, 2009, and Dec. 17, 2009, the defendant physically abused the twins.
On Dec. 17, 2009, Wilborn was home with her four children while her husband was at work. The defendant inflicted tremendous blunt force trauma to Millicent’s stomach. At approximately 4:00 p.m., Wilborn called 911 to report that the victim was unresponsive.
Millicent was transported to the hospital, but later died due to a ruptured heart, despite the life-saving efforts of medical staff. Further examination of the victim revealed that she had fresh and old fractures to her ribs.
An examination of her twin, John Doe, revealed that he had a fractured skull. The defendant caused the great bodily injuries that resulted in the death of Millicent and the injuries to John Doe.
The other two children did not have any physical signs of trauma.
Wilborn’s three surviving children were placed in protective custody. The Seal Beach Police Department investigated this case and arrested the defendant while she was at the Orange County Social Services Agency visiting her children.
In a related case in late May 2012, the U.S. Army court-martialed her husband Derrick Wilborn for negligent homicide in the death of Millicent Wilborn. Derrick Wilborn was convicted of negligent homicide and child endangerment by culpable negligence.
The Army panel found that Derrick Wilborn failed to protect his four children from the abuse of his wife.
The Army sentenced Derrick Wilborn to 90 days incarceration and demoted him from sergeant first class to specialist.
The family lived on Anchor way at the time of Millicent Wilborn’s murder.
