Newswire

Fetus Murder Charges

Man Charged With Murder After
Pregnant Woman's Fetus Dies
San Jose police have charged a man suspected of beating his pregnant girlfriend with murder, following the death of the woman's unborn child.

Police said the 25-year-old woman was 18 weeks pregnant when the male fetus was delivered dead yesterday. She told police that her boyfriend, 44-year-old Clifford Beane Watkins, choked her and kicked her in the stomach at a local motel.

"A man became so angry at his pregnant girl friend that not only did he choke her," San Jose police Sgt. Steve Dixon told KCBS, "he kicked her right in the stomach, and ultimately we believe that caused the death of the fetus."

Police say they don't know if the assault sent the unidentified woman into premature labor, caused a miscarriage or required doctors to induce labor.

Authorities responded to the 911 call early Christmas morning and transported the woman to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

""The clerk actually called. The woman was at the front desk," Dixon said. "She had some visible injuries, so our officers were dispatched, as were the paramedics."

The mother's condition was not available this morning.

http://cbs5.com/news/local/2004/12/26/Man_Charged_W
ith_Murder_After_Pregnant_Woman%27s_Fetus_Dies.html

Autopsy on dead fetus complete;
assailant remains jailed
Coroners conducted an autopsy today on the 18-week-old male fetus that police say died after the mother was kicked in the stomach, but a ruling on the official cause of death is pending until toxicology tests are completed.

Police arrested Clifford Beane Watkins, 44, on suspicion of murder, domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon. He is being held in Santa Clara County jail without bail.

Police said Watkins kicked his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach, and the fetus died on Saturday after an emergency delivery. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department has since assumed jurisdiction over the case because the motel falls within its area of patrol.

The toxicology tests should be finished within the next few days, at which point the case will be referred to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office for a decision whether to charge Watkins with murder, said Terrence Helm, a deputy public information officer for the sheriff's department.

Helm said the 25-year-old mother was in stable condition but did not know if she had been released from the hospital as of this afternoon. Her name is not being released. Helm also said that authorities haven't yet determined if Watkins is the father of the fetus. But he and the mother were in a dating relationship, Helm said.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/
mercurynews/news/10509144.htm?1c

Posted by Editor at December 28, 2004 06:14 AM