Bank Teller

[GrayMatterWife]

Oh, no...this is so sad. I had been praying for her...

FoxNews is now reporting that the bank teller who was shot in the stomach earlier this week during an Indiananpolis bank heist lost the twins she was carrying. The twins were five months along.

[Momo]

Re: Bank Teller

I was born & raised in Indiana, not far from Indy. My mom called and told me about this...just awful!
Have the feds caught up w/this monster?

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Bank Teller

I was born & raised in Indiana, not far from Indy. My mom called and told me about this...just awful!
Have the feds caught up w/this monster?

They haven't arrested the gunman yet. They arrested three suspects (sounds like authorities thought they were either conspirators or accessories after-the-fact) who've since been released, because the suspect (apparently, someone involved but not the gunman) who implicated them was determined to have lied. The gunman remains at large.

The state prosecutor indicated that, once the gunman is caught, he will be charged with (among many other things) feticide. Can't charge manslaughter because, under state law, the fetuses would have to have been seven months into gestation for their homicide deaths to qualify as manslaughter.

[Flynn]

Re: Bank Teller

The state prosecutor indicated that, once the gunman is caught, he will be charged with (among many other things) feticide. Can't charge manslaughter because, under state law, the fetuses would have to have been seven months into gestation for their homicide deaths to qualify as manslaughter.

What a horrible story. That poor woman. I can't imagine what she is going through right now.

Please tell me "feticide" (I've never heard that term before...hmmmm.) holds a HARSH penalty? When they find him he won't get MORE time for the armed robbery than hurting the woman and killing her fetuses????

Anyone know?

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Bank Teller

The state prosecutor indicated that, once the gunman is caught, he will be charged with (among many other things) feticide. Can't charge manslaughter because, under state law, the fetuses would have to have been seven months into gestation for their homicide deaths to qualify as manslaughter.

Please tell me "feticide" (I've never heard that term before...hmmmm.) holds a HARSH penalty? When they find him he won't get MORE time for the armed robbery than hurting the woman and killing her fetuses????

Feticide is the criminal termination of a pregnancy. Feticide can include illegal abortion (abortion being the medical termination of pregnancy) as well as involuntary termination of the pregnancy due to an act of assault upon the mother (note that, if, under state law, the fetus is not a person, the fetus may not be the vicitm as an assault, even if, for example, the mother was shot and the bullet also hit the fetus).

Feticide is distinct from legal termination of a pregnancy--principally, legal abortion. In this way, the criminality of the pregnancy termination is not determined by the age or gestational development of the fetus, except for any gestational limitations on legal abortion that may be imposed under the law. For example, a physician performing a legal abortion on a 5-month-old fetus is not committing feticide. However, a person who assaults a mother carrying a 5-month-old fetus and the assault results in a miscarriage, that person has committed feticide. This means that someone cannot defend against a charge of feticide by arguing that the pregnancy could have been legally terminated, anyway. Feticide is determined by the will of the mother to carry the child at the time of the pregnancy-terminating act and the legality of the method of termination.

The most recent info I could find on a quick WestLaw search indicates that a conviction for feticide in the State of Illinois carries a possible sentence of up to four years of incarceration and a $10K fine. I presume this means it is a low-level classed felony, but I am not sure. Someone who practices law in that State would be a much better resource.

And yes, if he is convicted of armed robbery, that is a Class A felony. He most likely will serve much more time for that crime than for a conviction on feticide. But remember, he'll also be charged with attempted murder (on the life of the mother). That will carry a hefty sentence, too, which--depending on the plea deal or the sentence imposed after conviction after a trial--may run consecutively (not merely concurrently) to the other sentences imposed for the other convictions.

[Momo]

Re: Bank Teller

Thanks for the legal definitions Abigail!

...State of Illinois...

I thought this was in Indianapolis IN ?
Am i mistaken?

[Phoebe]

Re: Bank Teller

Suz- it was the "far eastside" according to the Indy Star. The babies were born at Methodist.

ETA: The newspaper here is also stating the Indiana law is that fetus must be 7 months for it to be considered 'viable" for murder charges to be brought against a suspect.

[Flynn]

Re: Bank Teller

Thanks Abigail!

I learn so many new things from this site!

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Bank Teller

Thanks for the legal definitions Abigail!

...State of Illinois...

I thought this was in Indianapolis IN ?
Am i mistaken?

Oh, sorry, sorry!! All those fly-over Midwestern states that start with an "I"... Just kidding! I meant to write, "Indiana"...