bloodrayne
01-15-2006, 08:18 AM
Fetus Theft Suspect To Claim Insanity
Kittanning, Pennsylvania -- A woman accused of slashing her neighbor's pregnant belly to steal the fetus will seek an insanity defense, her attorney said in court documents.
Attorney David DeFazio said his client Peggy Jo Conner suffers from "severe mental disorders, including but not limited to psychosis and schizophrenia" and that an insanity defense would be offered.
DeFazio also wants a judge to appoint a psychiatrist or psychologist to examine Conner because she cannot afford it, according to documents filed this month.
A hearing on DeFazio's motion is scheduled for later this month.
Prosecutors say Conner, 38, of Ford City attacked Valerie Lynn Oskin, 30, with a baseball bat in Oskin's trailer on Oct. 12, then took her to a secluded wooded area and sliced her belly in an attempt to take the fetus.
Conner's plan to steal the fetus was thwarted when a 17-year-old riding his all-terrain vehicle saw Oskin lying on the ground, bleeding, authorities said. He left to get his father and they notified authorities.
Oskin, 30, told investigators she recalled seeing Conner standing over her in the woods with a crowbar, but didn't remember who attacked her in the trailer.
Oskin's baby boy was delivered by emergency Caesarean section and is being adopted.
Kittanning, Pennsylvania -- A woman accused of slashing her neighbor's pregnant belly to steal the fetus will seek an insanity defense, her attorney said in court documents.
Attorney David DeFazio said his client Peggy Jo Conner suffers from "severe mental disorders, including but not limited to psychosis and schizophrenia" and that an insanity defense would be offered.
DeFazio also wants a judge to appoint a psychiatrist or psychologist to examine Conner because she cannot afford it, according to documents filed this month.
A hearing on DeFazio's motion is scheduled for later this month.
Prosecutors say Conner, 38, of Ford City attacked Valerie Lynn Oskin, 30, with a baseball bat in Oskin's trailer on Oct. 12, then took her to a secluded wooded area and sliced her belly in an attempt to take the fetus.
Conner's plan to steal the fetus was thwarted when a 17-year-old riding his all-terrain vehicle saw Oskin lying on the ground, bleeding, authorities said. He left to get his father and they notified authorities.
Oskin, 30, told investigators she recalled seeing Conner standing over her in the woods with a crowbar, but didn't remember who attacked her in the trailer.
Oskin's baby boy was delivered by emergency Caesarean section and is being adopted.