US EditionJudge orders new trial for woman sentenced to 18 years in prison after stillbirth
New expert evidence shows infection and genetic abnormality caused the stillbirth, challenging the drug use conviction; Shoemaker's 18-year sentence is among the longest in pregnancy-related prosecutions.
- On Dec. 22, Lee County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Tickal vacated Brooke Shoemaker's 2020 conviction and ordered a new trial, citing evidence that could `lend toward the innocence` of the offense.
- The pathology expert's analysis found a genetic abnormality and severe infection caused the pregnancy loss, and defense attorneys argued this undermines drug causation.
- Shoemaker was arrested in Lee County two months after a 2017 stillbirth, toxicology tests found methamphetamine in the fetus' bloodstream while the medical examiner listed the cause as undetermined.
- Alabama prosecutors appealed Tickal's ruling to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, and Shoemaker remains in custody while the state challenges the new-trial order.
- Advocates say the case highlights how Alabama's chemical endangerment law targets pregnant women, with Alabama leading the nation in prosecutions and Pregnancy Justice noting Shoemaker's 18-year sentence among the longest.
46 Articles
46 Articles
Judge orders new trial for mother convicted after stillbirth
LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WRBL) — A Lee County judge has thrown out the conviction of Brooke Shoemaker, who has spent the past five years in prison after being convicted of using methamphetamine while pregnant and losing her baby. Prosecutors with the Lee County District Attorney’s Office are appealing the ruling and asking a higher court [...]
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WHNT 19 NewsLee County judge orders new trial for mother convicted after stillbirth
LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WRBL) — A Lee County judge has thrown out the conviction of Brooke Shoemaker, who has spent the past five years in prison after being convicted of using methamphetamine while pregnant and losing her baby. Prosecutors with the Lee County District Attorney’s Office are appealing the ruling and asking a higher court [...]
Alabama judge orders new trial for mother convicted after stillbirth
LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WRBL) — A Lee County judge has thrown out the conviction of Brooke Shoemaker, who has spent the past five years in prison after being convicted of using methamphetamine while pregnant and losing her baby. Prosecutors with the Lee County District Attorney’s Office are appealing the ruling and asking a higher court [...]
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