NJ mom accused of setting baby afire indicted on murder charge

A New Jersey woman accused of dousing her newborn daughter with accelerant, setting her on fire and leaving her in the middle of a road earlier this year has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge.

Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi said 22-year-old Hyphernkemberly Dorvilier of Pemberton also faces a child endangerment count in the indictment handed up Tuesday by a county grand jury. He said Dorvilier will soon be arraigned, but a court date has not been scheduled.

Dorvilier remains jailed on $500,000 bail. She could face a life sentence with no chance of parole if convicted on the murder charge.

Authorities say Dorvilier gave birth to the baby on Jan. 16, after somehow hiding the pregnancy from her family.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal