The woman accused of dropping her baby down a drainage pipe at General Electric pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Persia Nelson, 24, was arraigned in Schenectady County Court on counts of second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

Nelson is accused of causing the death of her nearly 11-month-old daughter, Halo Branton.

Police found Nelson in a heated utility building on the GE campus on Sunday, March 10. She told police she had no idea how she got there and couldn’t find her baby. An Amber Alert was put out. A frantic search of the property found the baby in a utility access pipe in muddy water up to her chest. An autopsy found that Halo died from exposure and hypothermia. 

Police said Nelson had been at an address on Campbell Avenue on Saturday night and entered the GE property at 12th Street. Nelson had posted to social media that she had been drinking. Her friends said she was drinking and smoking marijuana and then left the residence.

Prosecutors said they are ready for trial. The next court date was scheduled for June 25 at 9:15 a.m.

Halo would have turned 1 year old on Sunday. Her father, Amar Branton, told NewsChannel 13 that “I love my daughter and I wasn’t ready for her to go.”

Defense attorney Stephen Signore said he has received about 100 pieces of evidence on a hard drive to review. He will be going through them piece by piece to determine the relevance of each item and put together a defense.

Signore said he has explained to Nelson how this process works and will provide her the materials, as he typically does for clients, so she can assist in her own defense.

Defense motions are due by May 28 and the prosecution’s response is due by June 11. Her next court date is June 25.

Signore said his client is distraught but is holding up as best as she can.

“She’s in a state of sadness – everything you would expect a mother who lost her child to feel,” he said.