Oakdale Woman Will Receive New Judge in Baby Murder Retrial

An Oakdale woman who was found guilty of killing her newborn daughter in 2007 will have a new judge in her case's retrial.

Nicole Beecroft, who was granted a retrial this year by the Minnesota Supreme Court, will be receiving a different judge in the case's new trial, according to a report by the Pioneer Press.

When Beecroft was granted a retrial she was assigned to the same Washington County District Court judge who found her guilty in her trial in 2008. In Beecroft's request she argued that the original judge would not be able to be unbiased in the retrial, the Pioneer Press reports.

The decision to grant Beecroft a new judge was based on the notion that the public might perceive bias in the new trial. Chief Judge John Hoffman will be replacing Judge Mary Hannon. The Pioneer Press reports that no court date has been set yet.

Sign up for Oakdale Patch's free e-newsletter | Like Oakdale Patch on Facebook | Follow Oakdale Patch on Twitter