Dynel Lane Convicted In Mother-To-Be Stabbing Trial
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - A Boulder County jury has found a woman guilty of attempted first-degree murder in the shocking incident nearly a year ago in which she cut an unborn baby from another woman's womb. After the verdict, the victim said she didn't hate her attacker.
Dynel Lane, 35, was found guilty in the attack on Michelle Wilkins at Lane's Longmont home in March 2015.
Lane's trial started last Wednesday and Lane didn't take the stand. Wilkins testified on the first day of the trial, and said Lane broke a lava lamp over her head and used the pieces to strike her. After that she was pushed onto a bed by Lane, beaten and choked. That was before Lane cut into her with a knife and cut out her unborn baby.
After the verdict was read, Wilkins thanked the first responders, police officers and civil servants who helped her after she was attacked, "You have my gratitude."
She also said she did not hate Lane, "Early on I have said I have forgiven her, it's part of who I am as a human being."
Wilkins said that there were no words to describe how she feels.
"There is nothing ever in any shape or form that can remotely prepare you for something like this," said Wilkins. "It just never entered my world views that someone could be so cruel and value life so little."
"I do not hate Dynel but I am angry for all of the pain she has caused, the deceit and the selfishness and this element is hardly fathomable for me," said Wilkins.
Wilkins said the doctors told her she would be able to have children in the future if that is what she decides.
During closing arguments Monday morning attorneys for both sides took about an hour each to speak to the jury.
Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett argued that while Lane's actions may have been poorly planned, her plan was to commit murder.
"Actions speak louder than words, and when you're trying to determine what was somebody thinking, what did they intend when they harmed another human being, you have to look at how they went about inflicting the harm," Garnett said.
"And when you do that in this case, the only conclusion you can reach is that for whatever reason, for whatever thought or goal she had ... for whatever plan she had -- and it wasn't a good plan -- she intentionally, deliberately cut Michelle Wilkins to take and to kill her baby."
The defense argued they believed Lane was guilty of attempted manslaughter, but not attempted murder.
"Why would she wait so long after Ms. Wilkins got to her house to attack her?" said defense attorney Jennifer Beck, referring to the fact that the attack took place about an hour after Wilkins arrived at the home looking to buy baby clothes Lane had listed for sale on Craigslist.
"Why wouldn't she have a plan for how she was going to kill her? Why wouldn't she have a story to tell her family, or at the very least, a story to tell the police? ... It doesn't make any sense because it was a hasty, impulsive and reckless act."
Lane will be sentenced on April 29. She faces as much as 110 years in prison.
Wilkins said she plans to be at the sentencing and will speak.
"I may never get any real answers from her, I will never get an explanation from her but what I've come to realize is that I don't want to get that," said Wilkins.