Man accused in unborn child's death appears in court Tuesday
A man accused of killing his girlfriend’s fetus during a domestic dispute was in court Tuesday to receive bail conditions.
Matthew Lara, 18, appeared in 214th District Judge Jose Longoria’s court. Police arrested him Friday on suspicion of capital murder for the death of the fetus and family violence assault.
Lara remained jailed Tuesday in lieu of $1.1 million bail. Longoria appointed attorney Jim Lawrence to represent Lara, though Lara’s mother said she plans to hire an attorney for him.
Should he make bail, he will be on 24-hour house arrest and is not allowed contact with his girlfriend. Lara would live with his mother, she said in court.
His girlfriend was three months pregnant when she called Corpus Christi police Friday and said Lara choked her and hit her in the stomach.
Police found the woman’s apartment in the 1900 block of Rodd Field Road in disarray with “furniture and clothes thrown all over the floor,” according to the arrest report. Lara was not at the apartment.
The girlfriend had hand marks and bruising around her stomach and neck. She told police Lara choked her, “causing her to lose consciousness,” according to the arrest report.
About two hours later police made contact with Lara who said he wanted to tell his side of the story. Lara told police he pushed his girlfriend away in self-defense because she was hitting him and bit him on his left arm as he was trying to leave.
Lara had a visible bite mark, according to the arrest report.
Lara told police he knew his girlfriend was pregnant but he did not know if the baby was his. His girlfriend was always “throwing it in his face,” causing them to argue, he told police.
Lara was originally arrested on suspicion of family violence assault. While he was being booked at the city detention center, officers learned Lara’s girlfriend lost the baby, the report states.
http://www.caller.com/news/local-new...esday_80118452
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