The remains of six infants were found in April, 2014, in a garage of in a Provo, Utah, suburb, and on Thursday their mother, Megan Huntsman, pleaded guilty to their murder. The remains were wrapped in shirts, old towels and plastic bags, and placed inside cardboard boxes in the garage of her former home. Huntsman, 39, confessed to the killings and will be sentenced April 20.

The bodies were discovered by Huntsman’s estranged husband, Darren West, while cleaning out the garage. West had recently been released from a federal prison, where he had spent eight years after having pleaded guilty to meth charges. In addition to the six murdered babies, a seventh was discovered who was stillborn, according to authorities. Police say that the babies were killed over a 10-year period from 1996 to 2006. Huntsman told them that during that period of her life she was addicted to methamphetamine and did not want to care for the babies.

DNA tests show that West was the biological father of the infants, and that all were full term babies. Police say that Huntsman gave birth to all seven babies secretly, having managed to conceal her pregnancies.

Huntsman faces a maximum sentence of five years to life in prison for each of the six counts of felony murder. Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman says that he will recommend that the sentences run concurrently, which would reduce her time in prison to possibly as little as five years. However, Buhman acknowledged that she is likely to spend the rest of her life behind bars.

According to Buhman, the guilty plea gives Huntsman fewer opportunities for appeal than if the case went to a trial, but that it will bring closure more quickly. Family members have declined to comment, as did her defense attorney.

Dan Beckstrom, a Pleasant Grove police detective, said Huntsman told police why she stored the bodies, but he did not share her answer, saying that “she didn’t have a good answer, one that you would understand or I would understand.” Huntsman told police she either suffocated or strangled each baby immediately after it was born.