Attorney Wants Pennsylvania Unborn Victims Charge Overturned
by Maria Gallagher
LifeNews.com Staff Writer
July 10, 2003
Erie, PA (LifeNews.com) — The lawyer for a woman convicted under Pennsylvania’s unborn victims law is asking for the conviction to be overturned.
Attorney Tim Lucas filed motions Wednesday asking Erie County Judge John J. Trucilla to throw out Corinne Wilcott’s conviction on third-degree murder and assault charges.
Prosecutors said Wilcott kicked a pregnant Sheena Carson in the abdomen after a party, causing Carson to lose her unborn baby. Wilcott was sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison for the crime.
Wilcott’s lawyer noted that, at sentencing, Carson told the judge she believed she was "as much at fault" as Wilcott. Wilcott’s husband, Kareem, was the father of Carson’s baby.
Lucas also claimed there were errors during trial in the manner in which evidence was presented. He also contends there was not enough evidence to convict Wilcott. The lawyer is also renewing his challenge to the state’s unborn victims law, which Judge Trucilla ruled Constitutional.
Under Pennsylvania’s Crimes Against the Unborn Child law, an individual who physically attacks a pregnant woman can be charged with harming her baby. Pro-life advocates in Pennsylvania are convinced the law is Constitutional and will continue to be upheld.
“The criminal that causes death or injury to an unborn child shatters the hopes and dreams of parents and should be held accountable. Crimes Against the Unborn Child legislation provides much needed protection for the child against such assaults,” said Mary Beliveau, legislative director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.
