Fort Defiance Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Killing His Unborn Child
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 20, 2011 |
PHOENIX—Fernando Woody, 28, of Fort Defiance, Ariz., was sentenced on June 16, 2011 by U.S. District Judge Neil V. Wake to 10 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Woody pleaded guilty on March 17, 2011 to voluntary manslaughter. The defendant admitted that he kicked the mother of his child in the stomach while wearing boots. The mother was pregnant at the time and the unborn child suffered a skull fracture and other injuries as a result of the assault. The injuries caused the death of the child in utero. Woody knew that the mother was pregnant with the child when he kicked her.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Gallup, New Mexico and the Navajo Nation Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Heather H. Belt, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-10-8136-001-PCT-NVW
RELEASE NUMBER: 2011-119(Woody)