ROCKVILLE, Md. - An 18-year-old man arrested for the stabbing of a pregnant woman carrying their baby made his first court appearance in Montgomery County on Thursday.
According to court documents, Dakota Brothers is accused of trying to kill the 19-year-old victim because he was not ready to be a father. Brothers, who turned 18 years old last Saturday, has been charged with premeditated attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault.
"Medically, we believe she is approximately 24 weeks pregnant," said Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy. "The child is alive. The child is in a dire situation in a local hospital."
Charging documents revealed the pair met along a dirt walking trail along Upton Street in Kensington on Wednesday. The two had sex and then Brothers allegedly strangled her unconscious and stabbed her repeatedly. The woman was transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C. for treatment where emergency surgery and a C-section was performed.
Brothers was apprehended by Montgomery County police not long after the stabbing. In an interview, he allegedly told investigators he had previously contemplated killing the unborn child. He also told them he stopped his attack on the victim and fled because he believed he saw members of the MS-13 gang approaching and feared they would assault him.
As of now, Brothers only faces charges for the attack on the woman.
"Whether additional charges could be brought will be based on medical information that we do not have at this point in time," said McCarthy. "It all relates to the viability of the child at the time the child was taken by C-section."
In court, the defense tried to argue that bond should be set at a $100,000 because he had no prior criminal record. But the judge did not accept that argument and set bond at $5 million for Brothers.