Posted on 06/06/2005 4:13:45 PM PDT by Crackingham
An East Texas man accused of causing his teenage girlfriend to miscarry twins by stepping on her stomach was convicted Monday of two counts of capital murder. Gerardo Flores, who was prosecuted under the state's new fetal protection law, received an automatic life sentence.
Erica Basoria acknowledged asking Flores to help end her pregnancy, but the 17-year-old can't be prosecuted because of her legal right to abortion. The defense contended that Basoria punched herself while Flores was stepping on her, making it impossible to tell who killed the twins.
The jury reached a verdict after deliberating four hours. Since prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty in the case, Flores received the automatic life sentence, Assistant District Attorney Art Bauereiss said. The facts were unusual, but the evidence supported a guilty finding, Bauereiss told The Lufkin Daily News. He said most of Basoria's family was pleased with the jury's decision. But Basoria, who sobbed as she left the Angelina County Courthouse, had stood by Flores.
"It's just tragedy all around," Flores' attorney Ryan Deaton told The Associated Press. "It's a tragedy my client's convicted, I've got nothing good to say about it."
Basoria told authorities that, after about four months of pregnancy, she regretted not getting an abortion and started jogging, skipping prenatal vitamins and hitting her own belly to induce a miscarriage. When her efforts failed, she said she asked her boyfriend to help.
Some people don't deserve the status of parenthood.
Good riddance to the boyfriend. He'll be Bubba's biotch in no time.
Some people really shouldn't be allowed to breed.
Some people just don't get it. DON'T KILL PEOPLE IN TEXAS.
If by "breeding" you mean, "having offspring" then you, she, and the boyfriend are all in agreement.
Once again equal justice under the law is demonstrated for the men of the nation. She has a right to an abortion. He gets life.
Look folks, I do not agree with abortion. If the guy is going to get life, the woman should damn well get life too. Otherwise the guy should skate.
This is a terrible decision.
Is killing a fetus wrong or not? Yes it's wrong. At least one state agrees. Then why does that state allow abortions?
This is nuts!
My wife and I would have happily taken these children off their hands and raised them as our own.
It does seem kind of ironic that the boyfriend gets two convictions for killing the children that the mother could legally murder, apparently even in Texas.
Perhaps Sandy means, some people really shouldn't be allowed to breathe.
Whatever happened to equal protection under the law? Either they are both guilty of capital murder (boyfriend and girlfriend), or neither is. If she has a legal right to choose to receive an abortion, then someone else must have the legal right to give it to her.
Yep. It's either right or wrong for both of them. She should not get a pass.
I'm not quite sure what you meant by that.
There are many like you and your wife who would have taken these children and cherished them. That's the real tragedy of this whole thing.
I agree, it's a vicious double-standard when one is charged with capital murder and the other gets off scot-free when they committed the crime as full partners. They should both be charged with the same crime for the same act, which is their joint responsibility.
Attention all!
legal right to abortion
now includes having your twins stomped to death!
PP won't be happy,they can't make any money on that.
Considering it cost my daughter about 25,000 $$$ to have twins by IVF, his punishment is fairly light in my opinion.
Spay/Nueter them both and send them both to the slammer.
If you think they "shouldn't breed," then you and they both think they shouldn't have any children. And now, they won't. (They, uh, 'took steps' to keep from having children.)
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