Police: Pregnant woman claims she asked boyfriend to punch her stomach, killing baby

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Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Police: Woman claims she had unborn child punched to death
A pregnant woman showed up at Kern Medical with bruising on her stomach. She later told police she had asked her boyfriend to punch her stomach to harm the baby, according to a search warrant affidavit.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A baby died in the hospital after a woman claims she asked her boyfriend to punch her stomach, intentionally harming her then-unborn child, according to a search warrant affidavit.

KBAK reports that the woman, who was determined to be 30 weeks pregnant, arrived at Kern Medical on May 24. She had bruising on her stomach and the baby had traumatic injuries including a fractured skull. The woman said that this was because she had fallen but hospital staff called police.

The baby girl was delivered but passed away due to injuries. It's not clear how much time, if any, the baby survived outside the womb after delivery.

The woman told police that she had earlier asked her boyfriend to punch her stomach, wanting to kill the baby. The boyfriend punched her 10 times, she said, and she stopped feeling the baby move. The boyfriend denied this, according to the affidavit filed by Bakersfield police.

The district attorney has not yet decided whether to file charges.