Prosecutors: Albany mother admits to killing 3-year-old daughter

ALBANY, Ore. (KPTV) - During an arraignment hearing in Linn County Court on Monday, prosecutors said 32-year-old Rebekah Gasperino admitted to killing her 3-year-old daughter, Sophia, at her home in Albany over the weekend.

Gasperino sat emotionless in a video conference call from the Linn County Jail as she was being arraigned. The judge denied Gasperino bail citing the nature of the charge. The family of Sophia sat in the back of the court room and began to cry as soon as prosecutors told the judge that Gasperino had admitted to the crime.

FOX 12 obtained court documents in the case. Gasperino had filed a restraining order against her husband, Scott, late last month. According to the documents, Gasperino said they were going through a divorce and she feared he would physically hurt her or their daughter, Sophia. In the documents, Gasperino stated “Scott says he has a split personality named Bain and he is afraid of what it would do if it came out... I had visions of Scott abusing Sophia, but it was a prophecy from God of the future. I am a Christian.”

According to the restraining order, Scott had moved out of their home and had taken 3-year-old Sophia with him. In the document, Gasperino states “Scott is moved out. I want my 3-year-old back with me.” In the documents, Gasperino said Scott promised to pay household bills for three months. She asked the court to order him to give her emergency money.

According to a trial memorandum filed late last month, there was a disagreement over how to divide up the home on Sun Place NE. The house was bought with money from an inheritance Gasperino received, but it was bought while the two were married, though only Rebekah Gasperino’s name is on the title.

Across Albany on Sun Place SE, a memorial for Sophia continues to grow. Balloons, stuffed animals, and flowers all sit on a the driveway to her home. A representation of the grief the neighborhood feels thinking about the loss of a young girl. Stephen Royal lives behind the Gasperino’s and said he was shocked when he heard about Sophia’s death.

“I don’t know the level of violence that occurred but a three-year-old is gone,” Royal said. “What could have been done to detour that I guess that’s the only question that remains.”

Royal said he didn’t hear anything early Saturday morning at the Gasperino’s house. He also said they were very private people and he didn’t interact much. But two days later, a quiet neighborhood in Albany is still trying to heal after this tragedy.”

“This three-year-old could have been anything -- a doctor, lawyer, or the president,” Royal said. “How do you amend with that? How do you compensate for that? Every time a tragedy happens people are like ‘maybe if we did something.’ Maybe we’ll learn something from this and we should use what we learned moving forward.”

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