KITTANNING, Pa., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania woman who tried to steal a fetus from its mother's womb had her minimum prison sentence reduced to nearly half by a judge.
Peggy Jo Connor, 45, of Manor Township, Pa., pleaded guilty in 2007 after she attacked a pregnant woman, drove her to a wooded area where she was trying to extricate the woman's unborn child when a teenager on an ATV came upon the scene and went to get help, the Kittanning (Pa.) Leader Times reported.
At the time, Connor pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit murder with serious bodily injury. The charge carries a 40-year maximum sentence. After seeking new legal counsel, Connor's attorney petitioned the court, arguing the plea agreement was flawed. She should have pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder without bodily harm, which carries a 20-year maximum sentence.
Armstrong County President Judge Kenneth Valasek granted the plea change and resentenced Connor, who will now be eligible for parole in five-and-a-half years.
Connor's lawyer, Charles Pascal, said his client is a changed woman and noted a psychiatric examination found she is not likely to repeat her crime.
"It's clear she's been a model prisoner, taking responsibility for what she did," he told the Leader Times.
