Update (1 May 2016):
A US woman who cut a baby from a stranger’s womb has been sentenced to 100 years in prison.
Dynel Lane, who attacked 26-year-old Michelle Wilkins with a kitchen knife after Wilkins responded to a Craigslist ad for maternity clothes, was charged with attempted murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy following hte 2015 attack.
Colorado judge Maria Berkenkotter sentenced Lane, 36, to 48 years for attempted murder and 32 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy. The remainder of her sentence was for assault, TIME reports.
Lane, on the right, during the sentencing hearing. (Image: TIME)
Judge Berkenkotter said the harsh sentence was justified by the brutality of the attack, which she described as "performing a cesarean with a kitchen knife".
Lane, 36, did not speak at the sentencing nor in her defense during her trial, which ended in February when jurors found her guilty.
During the trial, jurors heard that Lane had feigned her own pregnancy before attacking Wilkins, who gained consciousness after the attack and called police.
Previously, Mamamia reported:
Michelle Wilkins was busily preparing for life with her new baby.
At eight months, she had been through the morning sickness, the scans and the baby shower – now she was waiting on the arrival of the little one.
But answering a Craiglist post for maternity clothing changed the course of her life forever and ended in the death of her baby girl.
The 26-year-old Colorado woman collected the clothes from the home of Dynel Lane in March this year, but as she went to leave Lane closed the door and began to attack her.
Ms Wilkins first thought Lane was swatting a spider away, before realising the situation was far more serious.
She told Dr Phil in a yet-to-be-aired interview that Lane tried to suffocate her with a pillow, then hit her over the head with a lava lamp, the Daily Mail reports.
In a bid to stop the attack, Ms Wilkins told Lane she loved her.
Lane allegedly said before stabbing her: “If you love me, you will let me do this.”
Bloody and writhing in pain for around an hour, Ms Wilkins called 911, not aware of what had happened.
But she woke in hospital to discover the woman had cut her baby girl from her womb. And her baby, Aurora, had died.
Ms Wilkins described the moment she and her husband, Dan, held their lifeless daughter in their arms.
“Dan and I thought she was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen,” Ms Wilkins said during the interview.
“And I was just so grateful to have her even for her short and small life. I think she was perfect.”
“Those were our first moments as a family.”
Police allege Lane took the dead baby to the hospital, claiming she had a miscarriage.
She pleaded not guilty to eight charges, including first-degree unlawful termination of pregnancy and attempted first-degree murder, the Daily Mail reports.
Police claim Lane admitted to committing the crime, but said she cut the baby out to save it after Ms Wilkins tried to stab her.
Top Comments
I don't really appreciate the judgmental and bullying comments.
My previous comment was based on how the article (and the daily mail article this was based upon) was originally written and since been corrected to reflect that the offender was NOT charged with first degree murder for the fetus but "Unlawful termination of pregnancy" and a second charge of "attempted first degree murder" was related to the mother (amongst others not listed). As it is written now, it is logically consistent with the general "life begins with the first breath" that a lot of western legal definitions are based upon (and that are important to the abortion debate).
Still a hard to fathom and crazy event to think about though, even after a month.
Crazy! One oddity though; as abortion is legal in Colorado, I'm not sure how they could be charging her with first degree murder.
Its "attempted first degree murder". Cutting a woman open and removing a baby, there is a huge chance the mother would have died from that.
Because it wasn't an abortion. It was an attack. She had no permission from the mother, who has the rights in case of an abortion. It was also passed the cutoff gestation for legal abortion. Its nothing alike and should not be compared.
Amputation is also legal...strangely one is charged with murder if one decides to amputate another person's head. Such an oddity don't you think? What a complete tosser you are,Victor James
Um, it was attempted first degree murder, referring to the stabbing of the mother.