CLAYTON, Mo. -- A St. Louis man has been indicted for the murder of a fetus, but not under part of Missouri's abortion law holding that life begins at conception, an official said Saturday.
John Lord, an assistant prosecutor, said he based his presentation to the grand jury on a section of Missouri's abortion statute holding that the natural parents have an interest in the life of an unborn child.
The indictment was made public Friday.
Lord said in a telephone interview Saturday that the indictment was not based on part of Missouri's abortion law holding that life begins at conception because that section is the subject of a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The defendant, Lester Evon Taylor, 23, is alleged to have fatally beaten a pregnant woman in December. He is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of the fetus.
Taylor already has been indicted on murder and armed criminal action in connection with the slayings on Dec. 5 of Regina Burgess, 20, and her son, Larrone burgess Jr., 3.
Taylor, who has pleaded innocent to the charges, is accused of beating the victims to death in their apartment in suburban Cool Valley.
Lord said Burgess had been three to four months pregnant when she died. The fetus was killed instantly when she was beaten, Lord said.
Mary Jenkins, a spokeswoman for Missouri Attorney General William Webster, said the attorney general's office was unaware of any similar cases pending in the state.
Capt. Dan Chapman of the Major Case Squad said at the time of Taylor's arrest that police had recovered a sawed-off ax handle they believe was the weapon used in the beatings and that Taylor had made incriminating statements.
