Gerardo Flores (born 1986) of Lufkin, Texas, was convicted in 2005 of two counts of capital murder for giving his girlfriend, who was carrying twins, an at-home abortion the previous year.[1] Prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty, and so he was sentenced automatically to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 40 years. The conviction and sentence were denounced as the most draconian punishment for abortion in America in decades.
His girlfriend, Erica Basoria, was sixteen years old and five months pregnant at the time. She was unable to get an abortion, so after her own attempts to induce miscarriage failed she called upon Flores to try stepping on her midsection.[2][3] A week later, she miscarried.[4][5] Under Texas law, a woman cannot be charged with causing the deaths of her own fetuses, so Flores alone stood trial.
References
- ^ "Double Murder Conviction for Man Who Helped Girlfriend Miscarry". Associated Press. 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- ^ "Experts question death penalty in Ohio missing women case". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- ^ "Lufkin man convicted of killing 2 fetuses filing appeal". ktre.com. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- ^ "Unborn twins' death is legal complication". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- ^ "Can a fetus be murdered?". Daily Pilot. 2005-04-02. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
External links
- Lufkin Daily News article on Flores' conviction[permanent dead link]
- Lufkin Daily News article on Flores' appeal
This page was last edited on 7 August 2022, at 14:09