Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi came to Fort Wayne today and addressed the Conservative Breakfast Club.

Brizzi spoke on how he is working to change Indiana’s feticide laws, stating we have an obligation to protecting unborn children at conception. Brizzi cited a case against Brian Kendrick, who shot bank teller Katherin Shuffield during an attempted robbery at a Huntington Bank branch in Indianapolis last April. The shooting led to the deaths of her unborn twins, Shuffield survived.

Brizzi has been working with Indiana State Senator Jim Merritt (District 31) and State Representative Mike Murphy (90th district) to change the statute. 

Indiana is one of 37 states with a fetal homicide statute, but it is not one of 18 other states that cover the earliest stages of a pregnancy. Merritt and Murphy recently introduced legislation that would amend the murder statute to cover the death of any fetus.

 

Recent shooting shows need to change fetal homicide law
Current law only allows murder charges to be filed if fetus is at least seven months old
(STATEHOUSE) – State Sen. James W. Merritt Jr., (R-Indianapolis) said today he plans to introduce legislation to reform Indiana’s fetal homicide law after the recent shooting of a pregnant bank teller that resulted in the death of her unborn twins. According to Merritt, Sens. Richard Bray (R-Martinsville) and Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) have already expressed support for such legislation.

Under the proposed legislation, murder charges would apply if a fetus is killed during the commission of a crime – at any stage of pregnancy. However, according to Merritt, this proposal will not affect Indiana’s current abortion law.

Merritt, who himself is the father of twins, joined Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi and State Rep. Mike Murphy (R-Indianapolis) for the announcement.

“Many of my constituents are customers of the Huntington Bank and frequent the neighborhood where the hold-up and shooting occurred,” Merritt said. “Plus, as the father of twins, this story really hit home with me.”

According to Merritt, current law allows murder charges to be filed if the fetus has reached seven months gestation. The twins carried by bank teller Katherin Shuffield of Indianapolis were only five months gestation when they were killed. At present, the only charge which could be filed against the shooter is feticide, a lesser penalty of Class C felony, Merritt said. As of today the shooter remains at large.

Nationwide, 37 states have feticide laws, and 18 of those consider the killing of a fetus at any age to be murder, Merritt said.

“It’s time Indiana catches up with the rest of the country on this important issue,” Merritt said.

AWB

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