Manslaughter Charge Against Woman Who Was Shot While Pregnant Dropped

An Alabama district attorney announced Wednesday that Marshae Jones, 28, will not face charges over the death of her unborn fetus who was killed when she was shot in the stomach during a dispute last year, The New York Times reports.  

“After viewing the facts of this case and the applicable state law I have determined that it is not in the best interest of justice to pursue prosecution of Ms. Jones on the manslaughter charge for which she was indicted by the grand jury,” Jefferson County District Attorney Lynneice Washington said in a press conference. “Therefore, I am dismissing this case and no further legal action will be taken against Ms. Jones in this matter.”

On December 4, 2018, Jones confronted 23-year-old Ebony Jemison in the parking lot of the convenience store Dollar General over a matter pertaining to the unborn baby’s father, according to Pleasant Grove Police Lt. Danny Reid. Their encounter escalated when Jamison responded to being struck several times and getting pinned to her vehicle by shooting Jones, who was five months pregnant at the time, in the stomach. 

Jemison was initially charged with manslaughter, but the charge was dismissed after a grand jury failed to indict her. Reid said an investigation deemed that Jemison was acting in self-defense, and since Jones “initiated and continued the fight” that resulted in the death of the “only true victim,” the unborn baby, she was charged with manslaughter. 

“Let’s not lose sight that the unborn baby is the victim here,” Reid said. “She had no choice in being brought unnecessarily into a fight where she was relying on her mother for protection.” Fetuses are considered “human beings” in Alabama, a classification that was initially used to outlaw abortion in the state.