Brianna Moore, 19-Year-Old University of Tampa Student, Charged in Death of Her Newborn

The accused, once a high-achieving student with a promising future, now faces a life-altering trial while carrying the weight of deep emotional struggles.

Brianna Moore, a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Tampa, is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter and other offenses following the death of her newborn daughter, Amara.

The baby was found lifeless inside a trash bag near McKay Hall, one of the university's oldest dormitories, just two days after Moore gave birth in her shared campus bathroom. Her trial is set to begin on July 22.

When questioned by Detective Aaron Campbell, Moore appeared startled when the baby was mentioned. "The baby?" she asked, seemingly caught off guard.

She then explained, "First of all, I did not even know that I was pregnant. And then I just woke up not feeling good yesterday morning. So I went to the bathroom. ... After a few seconds, it was dead."

Her initial account reflected confusion and disbelief, offering a glimpse into what investigators, prosecutors, and mental health experts would later analyze as a deeply complex situation.

Authorities say Moore, a marine biology major, gave birth alone in the early hours of April 27, 2024, after experiencing pain and nausea. Court records suggest she had planned to return to classes in the fall and was preparing for final exams at the time of the birth.

Moore told investigators she heard the baby cry briefly after the delivery. She reportedly held the newborn, laid her on a towel, and eventually wrapped her in it.

Afterward, she took a shower and attempted to clean the blood from the bathroom floor. She then sat for a long time before checking on the baby again. "It wasn't moving, so I felt for a heartbeat, and I didn't feel one. It wasn't moving, and I got scared," she noted.

Neighbors later called campus security when they found blood on the bathroom floor. The report from the call indicated that a student may have experienced a miscarriage. Moore later denied giving birth when campus security questioned her about the blood, saying she was on her period.

It wasn't until her roommate and a friend discovered the towel and suspected what was inside that they contacted security again and brought the trash bag containing the baby to the dumpsters, where police recovered it.

A medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be asphyxia caused by compression of the torso, noting the presence of broken ribs and small hemorrhages in the lungs. The death was classified as a homicide.

Moore gave statements to detectives on two separate occasions, first in a campus security office and later while seated in a police car. Though advised of her rights and warned not to speak without a lawyer, she chose to continue talking.

She shared her account of what happened that morning and described a series of actions that investigators would later examine in detail. For instance, during her early interview with detectives, Moore acknowledged that she had likely been in denial about her pregnancy.

She admitted to missing her period since the previous March and briefly suspected she might be pregnant. She also shared that while she had been on birth control in high school, obtaining it required permission to leave her boarding school campus, which became inconvenient, so she stopped taking it.

When asked about the possible timing of the pregnancy and who the father might be, she named two individuals, one close to her age and the other somewhat older.

Though the possibility of being pregnant had crossed her mind, she dismissed it. She noted that she hadn't gained much weight and attributed the small changes in her body to typical first-year weight gain. Her clothes continued to fit, and she still wore a belly ring.

No one had questioned her about a potential pregnancy. However, police later reviewed surveillance footage from McKay Hall taken days before the birth and observed what they described as a visible bump.

Her roommates and others had noticed the change as early as January, with at least one woman describing the bump as obvious. Moore, however, believed it wasn't very noticeable.

Reflecting on what she might have done differently, Moore said, "When I started feeling bad, probably go to the hospital." Still, she expressed concern about the cost and said she had considered the idea of surrendering the baby at a hospital, acknowledging that it was an option she had been aware of.

Moore's records also revealed emotional challenges. A forensic neuropsychologist, Nicole Graham, who evaluated her, described her as emotionally immature with a passive personality.

Graham noted that Moore struggled with body image and didn't feel she fit in with other young women on campus. She wanted a committed relationship but felt the men she dated weren't interested in the same. She also dealt with low self-esteem and admitted to cutting her arms, not to end her life, but to feel something.

The psychologist also concluded that Moore had experienced a cryptic pregnancy, a condition in which a person is unaware or in denial of being pregnant. Graham suggested Moore dissociated during labor, overwhelmed by fear, shame, and confusion.

In the hours before the birth, as she went into labor, Graham said Moore searched online for guidance about labor and whether she could safely deliver without medical help.

She worried about attracting attention and the cost of medical care. Although she considered calling her mother or seeking help from her roommates, she ultimately did neither.

Graham also found that Moore struggled to recall specific details, with her memory and perception of the birth appearing fragmented. She explained that Moore had a lifelong pattern of avoiding problems rather than addressing them, often hoping issues would resolve on their own.

During labor, Moore appeared to go into shock and reportedly held the baby to her chest in an effort to soothe her, denying that she applied excessive pressure.

According to Graham, Moore cried when discussing the birth and continued to carry deep guilt. In the months that followed, she tried to cope by caring for two kittens, saying she needed something to nurture.

Still, lingering questions remain, such as why she placed the baby in a small trash can or why she went to sleep afterward. Moore gave the same answer to many of them: she didn't know.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have pointed to text messages Moore exchanged with a young man in Mississippi in September 2023. In those messages, the two discussed contraception, abortion, and the availability of abortion pills.

When he asked whether abortions were legal in Florida, Moore replied, "no but there is a pill you can order in any state." She went on to share links to information she had saved about the pill.

Prosecutors have zeroed in on one particular part of the exchange: "Hey man sometimes you need a plan c," Moore wrote. "Plan a was condoms,” he replied. "Plan b was the pill. Plan c was to kill (the) kid." "plan c is my favorite," she responded.

The state plans to use the controversial comment about "plan C," as part of its case. Moore's attorney, Jonah Dickstein, argued that the text messages were taken out of context and were unrelated to her pregnancy.

He noted that the individual Moore had messaged was not the father of her child and maintained that she didn't know she was pregnant until the day she gave birth.

"In those text messages with her friend from eight months earlier, she was just discussing the general legal status of birth control and abortion in Florida and other states," Dickstein argued.

If convicted of the most serious charge, Moore could face up to 30 years in prison. As the trial approaches, more details may emerge in this complex and unusual homicide case, one in which the suspect remains the only person who ever knew the victim.

After the newborn was taken to a funeral home, Moore selected an urn and brought her daughter's remains home. She named her Amara. Still, despite being charged with serious crimes, she has shown no signs of remorse.

Moore's personal background also came under scrutiny. Originally from Mississippi, she had attended a selective high school for academically gifted students and was awarded a $30,000 scholarship to study at the University of Tampa.

She lived with her mother and stepfather on a farm, surrounded by animals, and had a reputation for strong academic performance. By all appearances, she was a high-achieving student with a promising future.

Now, as the trial approaches, the case has raised complex questions around unplanned pregnancy, maternal mental health, and how society responds when a young woman with no prior criminal history ends up at the center of a homicide investigation.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.