Unborn child counted among dead in Louisville triple homicide

Police in Louisville, Ky., are investigating a shooting that took place last week that left three people dead, including an unborn child. At about 11 p.m. Wednesday, officers responded to Louisville’s Park Hill neighborhood after the city’s “ShotSpotter” detectors reported a shooting, said Metro Police Department spokesman Dwight Mitchell. Officers found a man and a woman inside a vehicle. Both had suffered gunshot wounds. Mitchell said they were transported to the University of Louisville Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Have the victims been identified? The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the adult victims as 23-year-old Louis F. House III and 23-year-old Da’Vionna Sloane.

There’s a third victim? On Thursday, Mitchell released an update to the case, saying, “LMPD can confirm that the female victim in the homicide last night was pregnant at the time of the shooting. This is now considered a triple homicide.” As of Monday afternoon, police had not made any arrests linked to the fatal shooting.

What is the law regarding fetal homicide in Kentucky? Kentucky law establishes the charge of fetal homicide, ranging from first- to fourth-degree, depending on a series of factors. Those factors include whether or not there was intent to cause the death of the unborn child, the presence of extreme emotional distress (or lack thereof), recklessness or indifference, and other factors. The law protects the unborn “from conception onward, without regard to age, health, or condition of dependency.”

Are similar fetal homicide cases being investigated in the United States? The New Hampshire Department of Justice announced on Friday that a grand jury had indicted 38-year-old William Kelly for two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Christine Falzone and her unborn child in the state. Prosecutors allege the deaths of Falzone and her child were caused by “multiple blunt force injuries” and “extreme indifference” on the part of Kelly. The state’s justice department said the unborn child was 35-37 weeks old. According to local media reports, Kelly’s attorney indicated in a Monday morning hearing that his attorney intends to plead not guilty.

What is the law regarding fetal homicide in New Hampshire? State law in New Hampshire allows prosecutors to charge a suspect with murder if he or she causes the death of an unborn child anytime after the 20th week from conception.

Dig Deeper: Read Emma Freire’s report in WORLD Magazine about how spikes in crime are affecting big cities.