Prosecution, defense rest in Milwaukee fetal abduction, murder case
-
The Milwaukee County Courthouse. | Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE - TODAY'S TMJ4's Cody Holyoke says the prosecution and defense rested Thursday in the trial of the Milwaukee woman accused of killing a pregnant woman last year and trying to steal her unborn baby.
Annette Morales-Rodriguez's attorneys did not call a single witness.
She faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of the woman and her baby. Her trial began Tuesday, and the judge predicts the case could go to the jury as early as Thursday.
The husband of the pregnant woman, Maritza Ramirez-Cruz, says he told his wife he loved her on the day she disappeared.
Christian Mercado testified Wednesday in the trial. Through a translator, Mercado told the jury he kissed Ramirez-Cruz that morning and said he loved her. Then he went to work.
He says he called his wife and talked a few hours later. When he called a second time, she didn't answer. He says he got chest pains and left work to look for her but never saw her alive again.
Earlier in the day, prosecutors played almost 40 minutes of video Wednesday for the jury. It shows 34-year-old Annette Morales-Rodriguez providing a detailed description of the attack.
The video shows her sitting in an interrogation room, where she sobs and sniffles and occasionally covers her face with her hands. She tells police she planned to steal the full-term baby and pass it off as her own.
She's charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of the mother and fetus.
Her attorney contends the homicides weren't intentional because Morales-Rodriguez didn't intend for anyone to die.
The trial is scheduled to end Friday.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.