According to police in Boynton Beach, Florida, a man shot a pregnant woman, killing her preborn child, because he wanted to “teach her a lesson.” She was seven months pregnant at the time.
Dontae Jermaine Maddox, age 34, is being held without bond at the Main Detention Center in Palm Beach County, according to Law & Crime, for a count of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm as well as a count of felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted to shooting the woman with a 9mm FN handgun which was recovered by police.
The relationship between Maddox and the victim is unknown and has been redacted in documents.
He knew her routine — that she walked an autistic child to the bus stop each morning. So he waited for her and allegedly ambushed her at her hotel room in front of the child on the morning of August 3. Before shooting her, he allegedly punched her and kneed her in the mouth. He shot her three times, and after she ran down the stairs, he shot her a third time.
She survived, but her baby did not.
A human baby growing inside the womb. Age is about 7 months. (Getty Images)
After this, he went into the lobby, put down his gun and waited for police to arrive.
A witness signed an affidavit saying that Maddox told him, “I didn’t want to kill her, I just wanted to show her what’s up.” That witness heard the shots and ran to help the victim, with his own gun in hand. The attack came after the two had allegedly been arguing for weeks. He had also assaulted her on the night of August 2, but she didn’t call police.
Homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States — even more than from pregnancy-related causes.
Maddox had a history of violent crime, including robbery with a deadly weapon, first-degree attempted murder, domestic battery, and criminal mischief.
