Teen charged with murder in death of pregnant woman, fetus
Published 9:22 am Tuesday, January 7, 2020
BROWNSVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee teenager was arrested in connection to a shooting that killed a pregnant woman and her fetus, paralyzed her 8-year-old daughter and wounded another adult family member, authorities said.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested Thursday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.
The Associated Press does not generally identify juveniles who have been accused of crimes.
On Dec. 1, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and officers from the Brownsville Police Department responded to a shooting where they found Alexis Branch, 24, dead at the scene, the bureau said. Branch was eight months pregnant and her fetus was also killed.
Branch’s 8-year-old daughter was shot and suffered paralysis over much of her body, investigators said. An unidentified adult family member received injuries that were not considered life threatening. A motive for the shooting was not immediately released. It was unclear whether the teenager had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.