SHOULD DYNEL LANE BE CHARGED WITH MURDER? -- THE ASSAULT OF MICHELLE WILKINS

[HairOfTheDog]

^Michelle Wilkins is a 26-year-old Colorado woman. She was 7 months pregnant when she went to a home to buy baby clothes advertised on Craigslist yesterday.


When she arrived, she was attacked by ^ Dynel Lane, 34. Lane cut Wilkins' fetus from her body.

Lane's husband, who believed his wife was pregnant (as did the couple's daughters) came home early from work to take his wife to a pre-natal appointment. He found her covered in blood and then found the fetus, reportedly gasping for air, in the bathtub. Lane told him she had miscarried their unborn boy. The husband rushed Lane, fetus in her arms, to the hospital.

Downstairs at the home and unknown to Lane's husband, Wilkins was fighting for survival. She won that fight and was able to call 911. When police arrived, they rushed her to the hospital.

So.........both women and the fetus were taken to the same hospital: Longmont United. There, Lane initially refused to let emergency room doctors examine her. Finally, she admitted she hadn't miscarried.

Meanwhile, police were trying to identify who assaulted Wilkins and stole her fetus. They got wind of what was going down in the emergency room with Lane and put two and two together.

Wilkins will survive. The fetus is dead. Lane is charged with attempted first-degree murder of Wilkins, first degree assault on Wilkins, and child abuse resulting in death. Lane is NOT charged with murder at this time.

The police report cites hospital staff as saying that the baby "was approximately seven months old and would have been viable."

Do you think Lane should be charged with murder?