Wis. woman in fetal-abduction case due in court

MILWAUKEE — A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the Milwaukee woman accused of killing a pregnant woman and slicing out her full-term fetus in hopes of passing off the boy as her own.

Annette Morales-Rodriguez is due in court Wednesday afternoon. The 33-year-old is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, including homicide of an unborn child. The charges carry a mandatory penalty of life in prison.

Prosecutors describe Morales-Rodriguez as a woman desperate to give her boyfriend a son but unable to conceive. The criminal complaint says she lured a 23-year-old into her car this month, took her to Morales-Rodriguez’s home and beat her with a bat.

The complaint says Morales-Rodriguez killed the woman and cut out the baby, who also died.

Online court records didn’t list a defense attorney.