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Thursday, October 20, 2011
Ind. Courts - "Treatment of suicidal woman who killed her infant is protested"
Updating this long list of ILB entries on Bei Bei Shuai, the most recent of which was July 28, 2011, Bill Booher of the Indianapolis Star reports today on yesterday's protest. Some quotes:
They were protesting the murder and attempted feticide charges filed in March by the Marion County prosecutor's office against Shuai, 35, Indianapolis. The native of China is accused in the death of her newborn daughter after ingesting rat poison in a suicide attempt in December while she was about 33 weeks pregnant.Note from the July 28th story that:The infant died just a few days after birth by cesarean section, a procedure to which Shuai consented.
Welcoming the small group was Linda Pence, attorney for Shuai, who said the Indiana Court of Appeals is considering two appeals in the case, the first filed months ago appealing Marion Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle's decision to deny Shuai bond.
A new appeal was filed Monday seeking dismissal of the charges on several grounds, including that attempting suicide is not a crime in Indiana and the state may not create a new crime just for pregnant women.
Prosecutors maintain Shuai took the rat poison with intent to kill the fetus she was carrying. Pence maintains Shuai was only trying to kill herself and didn't know rat poison here is 60 times less potent than in China.
Shuai has been in jail since mid-March, and the case is on hold in court pending the outcome of the appeals, Pence said. [ILB: Or has she been jailed since Dec. 2010?]
On June 27th, the Court of Appeals granted the motion for expedited appeal.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 20, 2011 10:33 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts