CHARGES UPGRADED TO MURDER FOR MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WOMAN'S UNBORN BABY

Yahoo News

 

Charges upgraded to murder for man accused of killing woman’s unborn baby

Meredith Colias-Pete, Post-Tribune (Merrillville, Ind.)

Tue, August 5, 2025 at 12:32 PM CDT

 

Lake County prosecutors added a murder charge for a man accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend so badly, she lost her 4-month pregnancy.

 

Cortez Morehead, 26, is also charged with feticide, aggravated battery, criminal confinement, domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, domestic battery committed in the presence of a child less than 16 years old, intimidation, auto theft, and misdemeanor resisting law enforcement.

 

He was the baby’s father.

 

He is in custody, held on a $125,000 or $12,500 cash bond. An initial hearing was scheduled Tuesday. A lawyer is not listed.

 

Lake County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Myrna Maldonado declined to say why the murder charge was added less than a week after he was originally charged.

 

“This is a deeply sensitive case, and out of respect for the legal process and those affected, we will not be providing further comment at this time,” she said in an email.

 

Gary Police responded July 29 to the 1000 block of Van Buren Street.

 

The woman said her four kids were home when she and Morehead got into an argument. She went to her bedroom. When she refused to leave, he threatened to punch her in the face, charges show.

 

After she called the police, he drove off in her vehicle. When officers arrived, they told her to lock her door as they looked for Morehead.

 

The woman told officers that at some point, Morehead came back and brutally attacked her, including punching her in the face and stomach and dragging her back inside. She ran to a neighbor for help.

 

Ring videos confirmed the woman’s account.

 

Det. James Nielsen wrote that Cpl. Joseph VonBank was searching for the woman’s missing car “when he noticed it was back at the residence.”

 

He tried to talk with Morehead, who ignored him and ran from the officers.

 

They found him “in a small room off the (back) of the complex hiding in a hole in the floor.”

 

At the Gary Police Station, Morehead said he beat her in June 2024 and downplayed his role that day, claiming she was “crazy” and would hurt herself.

 

A Gary Police spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for clarification if Morehead returned to the apartment and beat her as police were looking for him.