TAMPA, Fla. (Court TV) — A woman accused of killing her newborn in her college dorm and leaving it in the trash has asked a judge to bar prosecutors from introducing evidence about her past relationships and sexual history.
Brianna Moore appears in court on July 15, 2026. (Court TV)
Brianna Moore, 21, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a child, child neglect and unlawfully moving a dead body. Prosecutors say she gave birth in her dorm’s bathroom in 2024, wrapped the child in towels and tossed it in a dumpster. Moore’s roommates told police they had heard sounds of a baby crying, but said the defendant denied being pregnant and said the blood in the bathroom was from her menstrual cycle.
In new filings reviewed by Court TV, Moore’s defense has asked Judge Lawrence Lefler to bar prosecutors from introducing evidence of the defendant’s alleged sexual activity or the fact that Moore had doubts over the child’s paternity.
“There is no relevance, in this case, to the unfounded and false allegations that the Defendant is uncleanly and sexually promiscuous,” one defense motion claimed, referencing comments during depositions by prosecution witnesses. “Such evidence does not prove any disputed fact, and it is a waste of time for the Defendant to have to go about proving at trial these allegations are false.”
The defense also wants prosecutors prohibited from mentioning Moore’s statements to investigators saying there were two men who could have fathered her child. “Introducing a second potential father invites the jury to disapprove of Defendant’s private relationships rather than assess guilt based on the evidence relating to the charged offenses,” the motion stated. “Furthermore, introducing a second potential father creates a collateral inquiry into Defendant’s past personal relationships, diverting the jury from the core elements of the offense and confusing the issues.”
A third motion filed by the defense acknowledges that prosecutors have the right to present evidence that Moore failed to get any prenatal care, call 911 or call a rideshare service to go to the hospital after giving birth, but asks that the state be barred from “arguing, stating, suggesting or implying” that the lack of action proves any criminal action. “The State should not be permitted to transform evidence admitted as background or context into an argument that Defendant’s prenatal and decisions surrounding the childbirth themselves establish any element of the charged offenses,” the motion said. The motion also argued that “poor judgment, unconventional conduct, failure to follow a medical recommendation or failure to select an option that appears preferable in hindsight cannot be rhetorically converted into the criminal mental state required for conviction.”
Moore was released on bond but must remain in Hillsborough County; her attorney asked that she be allowed to return to her family’s home in Mississippi. Moore’s jury trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 2.
