Trial opens for Colorado woman in case of baby cut from womb

Published February 17, 2016

A trial is set to start for a Colorado woman accused of cutting a stranger's unborn baby from her womb, a gruesome case that reignited the debate over the legal rights of fetuses.

Opening statements are expected Wednesday morning in the trial of 35-year-old Dynel Lane. Prosecutors charged her with attempted first-degree murder, assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy in the March 2015 attack. But District Attorney Stan Garnett said he could not charge Lane with murder because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb. That prompted Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have allowed prosecutors to file murder charges for killing a fetus, but Democrats rejected the measure.

Lane pleaded not guilty, but her attorneys have not revealed much about her defense.

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/trial-opens-for-colorado-woman-in-case-of-baby-cut-from-womb