The Latest: Woman gets 100 years for cutting baby from womb
BOULDER, Colo. – The Latest on the sentencing hearing for a Colorado woman convicted of attempted murder after cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from a stranger’s womb (all times local):
3:25 p.m.
A judge has sentenced a Colorado woman to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from a stranger’s womb.
A jury convicted 36-year-old Dynel Lane in February of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins in 2015. Lane, who was sentenced Friday, was also convicted of assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy. She had lured Wilkins with an ad for maternity clothes.
Prosecutors say they were unable to charge Lane with murdering the unborn girl because a coroner found no evidence that the fetus lived outside the womb. That led Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have allowed a murder charge. Democrats rejected the measure, the third time such a proposal failed in Colorado. Over the objection of abortion-rights supporters, 38 states have made a fetus’s killing a homicide.
___
10 a.m.
A judge is set to sentence a Colorado woman convicted of attempted murder after cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from a stranger’s womb.
Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett has said 36-year-old Dynel Lane could spend the rest of her life in prison after a jury convicted her in February of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins.
Lane was also convicted of assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy in the 2015 attack.
Prosecutors say they were not able to charge her with murder in the death of the unborn girl because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb.
Prosecutors say Lane was obsessed with having a baby. Her attorneys argued the assault was not a calculated murder attempt, but an impulsive act.
Join the Conversation!
Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?
You must be logged in to post a comment.