Illinois man charged with murder for shooting pregnant wife, killing preborn child

Police have arrested a Des Plaines, Illinois, man and charged him with intentional homicide of an unborn child after he admitted to shooting his wife.

In a press release, Des Plaines police said 30-year-old Amal Reji admitted to shooting his wife, Meera Abraham, during an argument on Monday, November 13th. “[T]he argument between Reji and Abraham began at their residence on Leslie Lane,” the press release said. “Reji and Abraham left the residence, to not argue in front of other family members at the residence, in their Honda Odyssey. The argument continued in the vehicle while Reji was driving eastbound on Algonquin Rd. with Abraham in the back seat of the vehicle. Prior to approaching the intersection at Mt. Prospect Rd, Reji brandished the Glock handgun and shot Abraham several times. Reji then drove the vehicle to the parking lot of St. Zachary Church and flagged down a subject in the area to call 911.”

While Abraham survived, she is still in intensive care. She was also pregnant, however… and her preborn child did not survive.

Omnamorama, an Indian news outlet, reported that the couple has a three-year-old son, David, and that the family are recent immigrants to the United States. Both Abraham and her twin sister work as nurses; Reji is now awaiting a hearing to determine whether or not he will be granted bond.

Violence during pregnancy is incredibly common. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, over 300,000 pregnant women experience domestic abuse. Furthermore, it is a well-known statistic that homicide is a leading cause of death for women during pregnancy; in fact, women are more likely to be murdered during pregnancy than they are to die from the three leading obstetric causes of death (high blood pressure disorders, hemorrhage, and sepsis).

In this case, while Abraham thankfully survived, her child did not. And though Illinois is an incredibly pro-abortion state, authorities took the right step in holding Reji accountable — both for his assault on his wife, and the murder of his preborn child.