Purvi Patel had taken drugs to induce abortion.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Purvi Patel, the Indiana woman who was arrested and charged last year with gross negligence for discarding her fetus in a dumpster, appeared in court on Monday and is reportedly considering a plea deal being offered to her by prosecutors.
Patel (32) is accused of having taken drugs to abort a seven month-old fetus she was carrying inside her. The drugs induced labor, at which point Patel allegedly took the newborn fetus and tossed it into the dumpster behind a Moe’s Southwest Grill in Mishawaka, which her family owns, reports local CBS News affiliate WSBT.
An investigation showed that Patel put the fetus in a grocery bag and then threw it into the dumpster, stifling the baby’s chances of life. An autopsy conducted by police showed that Patel cut the umbilical cord herself, but the worst part is that the baby was apparently alive when Patel dumped it, and that it may have even been breathing before it ultimately perished.
The incident occurred in July of last year, and Patel was charged with a single count of Class A neglect. She was initially set to appear in court to enter a plea deal on October 10, with the trial subsequently beginning on November 12, but delays have caused things to drag out.
Now, it seems, a light could be appearing at the end of the tunnel, as prosecutors have offered Patel a plea deal that she seems to, at the very least, be mulling over. The terms of the deal have not been discussed, but they would almost certainly see any potential jail time reduced significantly.
Patel’s trial is set to get underway, at last, on September 15, reports NBC affiliate WNDU. She will have another court appearance on July 2 before the trial itself begins.