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#22
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10-19-2013, 11:50 PM
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Re: * UPDATES *Police Say 17-yo Shoplifters Had Fetus in Bag (NYC)
Sadly, this story isn't getting any better. Additional legalities hinge on the yet-inconclusive autopsy Suspected teenage shoplifter caught with dead baby pleads not guilty in court Tiona Rodriguez, teen mom found with dead baby as she was supposedly shoplifting in a Victoria's Secret, appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court with her alleged partner in crime, Francis Estevez, but only over the theft — 'I don’t want to ignore the elephant in the room, but we are only arraigning the shoplifts,' said Assistant District Attorney Robert Hettleman. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013, 7:13 PM ![]() BARRY WILLIAMS/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Francis Estevez, left, Tiona Rodriquez are arraigned for Petit Larceny in the Manhattan Criminal Court. The stone-faced teen sat mutely inside a Manhattan courtroom, her face betraying no trace of the shock, horror and loss of the last 48 hours. Teen mom Tiona Rodriguez maintained her stoic facade Saturday during a brief hearing on charges that she shoplifted a $44.50 pair of skinny jeans from Victoria’s Secret. Barely mentioned at the appearance was the corpse of her newborn son, discovered Thursday by stunned store security guards searching her bags for stolen merchandise. “I don’t want to ignore the elephant in the room, but we are only arraigning the shoplifts,” said Assistant District Attorney Robert Hettleman. ![]() BARRY WILLIAMS/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Rodriguez remained dispassionate during her appearance. “One can only imagine how she feels,” said defense attorney Genay Ann Leitman, stating the obvious. But her demeanor stood in stark contrast with her shoplifting co-defendant Francis Estevez, 17. The weeping girl embraced her sobbing mother inside the courtroom, jumping in her parent’s lap after state Supreme Court Judge Debra James released Estevez without bail. ![]() PETER FOLEY/EPA Pedestrians pass by the Victoria's Secret store at Herald Square where a security guard stopped two teenage girls to question them about shoplifting from the midtown Victoria's Secret store and found one of the teens was carrying a dead fetus in a plastic bag. As Estevez sat in court, more than a dozen cops and detectives descended on her Queens home with a crime scene unit truck and two other vehicles, a neighbor said. Cops believe Rodriguez gave birth in Estevez’s home in Glendale. The investigators spent two hours going through an upstairs apartment. Both girls sat quietly in white T-shirts as they awaited arraignment in the shoplifting case. The only time Rodriguez, 17, appeared to speak was to ask a court officer for the time. She was rushed out of the court by a man identified as her uncle without saying a word — and she’s due to sit down with a psychiatrist this week, according to Leitman. ![]() ALEC TABAK/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS NYPD detectives carry a evidence bag from into their van from the Herald Square Victoria's Secret. The mom of a 2-year-old son pulled a red hoodie tight around her face as she headed for home. “Anyone would be traumatized by the entire situation,” Leitman said after the arraignment. Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to the shoplifting charges. Hettleman did reference the gruesome discovery of the dead 81/2-pound baby boy inside Rodriguez’s canvas bag as the two friends exited the flagship Victoria’s Secret store in Herald Square. ![]() JULIA XANTHOS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tiona Rodriguez (in glasses), the woman involved with the fetus in a bag while allegedly shoplifting at Victoria Secret this week being walked out of Midtown South Precinct by NYPD. Cops said Rodriguez lied to police, claiming that she was six months pregnant when she suffered a miscarriage Wednesday. An autopsy two days later determined the boy was born alive — and nearly full-term at eight months. Officials said the autopsy was inconclusive as to how the baby died. Police sources said asphyxiation was among the possible causes of death. The medical examiner’s office insisted the cause was still under investigation. Prosecutors aren’t likely to elevate charges against Rodriguez before investigators determine how the boy died. Hettleman made it clear that the dead-baby case was the top priority. “The NYPD, my office, and the office of the chief medical examiner are going to continue to vigorously and thoroughly investigate this matter relating to the baby,” he said. ![]() JULIA XANTHOS/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS “One can only imagine how she feels,” said defense attorney Genay Ann Leitman, stating the obvious. “But at this time, doing that shoplifting with the baby in her bag the entire time certainly suggests a little bit of difficulty following society’s rules.” The two girls were accused of swiping more than $200 worth of clothes, cosmetics and an iPhone 5 case, sources said. A criminal complaint said a store security guard watched Rodriguez take the jeans, slip inside a fitting room and then try to walk off with the clothes. While Rodriguez had no previous record, Estevez had open cases for arson and shoplifting, prosecutors said. Estevez is the mother of a 1-year-old daughter. dslattery@nydailynews.com Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crim...#ixzz2iDv5h84A |
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#25
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10-21-2013, 09:08 AM
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Re: * UPDATES *Police Say 17-yo Shoplifters Had Fetus in Bag (NYC)
As far as the fetus having fluid in the lungs and possibly being drowned: I am not a scientist or a forensic pathologist by any stretch, but I wonder if it is possible for the fetus to have somehow aspirated on amniotic fluid while in the womb/being born. I don't know if this is absolutely indicative of murder. Can they tell the difference during an autopsy? |
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#28
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10-22-2013, 01:28 AM
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Re: * UPDATES *Police Say 17-yo Shoplifters Had Fetus in Bag (NYC)
I have to disagree with you. I knew I didn't want children as a teenager. Since she already had one baby, which she should have been caring for, her parents may have gotten pissed off at her, but, I'm sure they would have either accepted it or had her give him up for adoption. As far as the guy sticking around, I don't know any 15, 16, 17 year old, who wants a baby so young. I know it happens, but, it's very unfair to the children. They need to pay attention to biology in school and learn how one gets pregnant. It's not that hard to understand, and it can happen the first time you have sex. As I've said before, females need to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancies, but, you never know what is going to happen with a guy, or most guys, that young. They're having fun. I love men, but, I always protected myself only because children and a husband were never in my plans. It is not always the guy's fault. She should have gone to a doctor or hospital or called for an ambulance. This was not a miscarriage. He was an almost full term 8 1/2 pound baby. They figure 8 months along, and most likely would have survived. |