Lavinia Alison Murray: Murgon mum charged with manslaughter to stand trial

A young mother accused of leaving her baby to drown in a sink while she scrolled Facebook has been ordered to stand trial, after a court hears the mum-of-three was ‘struggling’ and wanted ‘free time’ in the weeks before her daughter’s death.

The young mother accused of checking Facebook while her baby drowned in laundry tub has been committed to stand trial.

Lavinia Alison Murray is accused of leaving her seven-month-old baby in a makeshift bath in the laundry sink for up to 10 minutes on three separate occasions, before returning a fourth time to find the little girl blue and unresponsive on February 5 last year

The 21-year-old is was committed to stand trial on a charge of manslaughter, almost one year on from the tragic event.

Emergency crews were called to Ms Murray’s Murgon home in February 2021 after the baby girl was found unresponsive.

The baby was rushed to hospital but she was pronounced dead a short time later.

Documents tendered to the court last year alleged Ms Murray filled the laundry sink with water and was washing the child with a pair of underpants before the drowning.

It’s alleged she left the little girl on her own in the sink four times for a period of up to 10 minutes each time to spend time on Facebook and tend to her other children, aged one and four.

Lavinia Alison Murray

During the committal hearing in Murgon Magistrates Court on Wednesday, the court heard evidence from two witnesses as to Ms Murray’s mental state leading up to the death of baby Trinity.

Both Cynthia Speedy and Mikaela Graham described Ms Murray as a “quiet girl” and said she had seemed more quiet than usual in the period leading up to February 5.

Ms Graham recounted an interaction she had with Ms Murray in January, after Trinity’s father was arrested and Ms Graham was taking the baby for some time.

“I remember Lavinia said to me, ‘thank you for taking her, I’m struggling with these three kids’,” Ms Graham said.

Ms Murray’s lawyer Joseph Briggs also questioned Ms Graham about her police statement and references to Ms Murray having post-natal depression.

Ms Graham said she wasn’t able to explain exactly why she believed that, only that Ms Murray had said she was struggling with the children.

“She wanted free time and she couldn’t have that,” she said.

Magistrate Andrew Sinclair committed Ms Murray to stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court at a later date.