LIVINGSTON — A Denham Springs teenager will serve jail time until her 21st birthday for allegedly killing her newborn, District Attorney Scott Perrilloux said Friday.

Emely Amaya-Ponce, now 15, delivered a baby in her bedroom last year, Perrilloux said. Moments later, she used a sharp object to "deeply" cut its neck, killing the infant, the district attorney said. 

The newborn's body was discovered in a tote bag in Amaya-Ponce's room, according to prosecutors. 

Perrilloux said his office tried to try Amaya-Ponce as an adult, but was denied by the court. Instead, she was declared an adjudicated delinquent and committed to juvenile life, meaning she will be held by the state Office of Juvenile Justice until she turns 21, Perrilloux said.

According to the district attorney, delinquency adjudication is the juvenile equivalent of a criminal conviction, and that juvenile life was the maximum mandatory sentence for the crime.