Dynel Catrece Lane, the Colorado woman charged with cutting open a stranger's womb and ripping out her fetus, will stand trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Lane, 35, is accused of attacking Michelle Wilkins and removing her 8-month-old fetus on March 18 after Wilkins responded to a Craigslist ad for baby clothes. Wilkins, 26, survived, but the baby girl, whom Wilkins had planned to name Aurora, didn't.
Lane is scheduled to be arraigned July 24 in Boulder County District Court on eight felony counts, including first-degree unlawful termination of pregnancy. Because the coroner found no signs that the fetus lived outside the womb, Lane couldn't be charged with murder. The other charges include first-degree attempted murder and first- and second-degree assault, with the aggravating circumstances that the termination occurred during a crime of violence.
Longmont, Colo., police said Lane was apparently faking her own pregnancy — even producing an ultrasound photo of a baby boy in December. She also allegedly kept a smartphone with photos of her purported pregnancy.
The lead investigator in the case, Detective Stacy Graham, told the court on Tuesday that Wilkins felt compassion for Lane just before the most violent part of the attack, and she told her "I love you," NBC affiliate KUSA reported.
Lane replied, "If you love me, you'll let me do this" and stabbed her in the neck, Graham said in court.
Michael Perini, a spokesman for Wilkins' family, told reporters after the hearing that the victim is staying with relatives in another state.
"We endorse the charges chosen by the district attorney and believe them to be correct and reflective of what is permissible under current Colorado law," Perini said. "We now choose to let the legal system run its proper course and will refrain from making any comments."
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