Murder charges dropped against Indiana woman who ate poison while pregnant

Indiana
prosecutors dropped murder and
attempted feticide charges on Friday
against an Indianapolis woman who
tried to commit suicide by eating rat
poison near the end of her
pregnancy.
Bei Bei Shuai, 36, was charged in
March 2011 with knowingly killing a
viable fetus, prosecutors said.
Shuai walked out of Marion County
Superior Court in Indianapolis a free
woman on Friday after pleading guilty
to a misdemeanor charge of criminal
recklessness for the death of her
daughter, Angel. She had been
released from prison on bond in May
2012. Under the plea agreement, she
did not have to serve more jail time.
"I have to say thank you to everyone
who supported me before because
without them, I'm not going to be
able to continue to today," Shuai told
reporters in footage posted on the
Indianapolis Star website.
Shuai consumed rat poison while 33
weeks' pregnant in December 2010,
prosecutors said. She was taken to a
hospital where she admitted to
attempting to kill herself after her
boyfriend left her, according to a
police statement.
Shuai's baby girl, Angel Shuai, was
born alive, but died a few days after
being taken off life support.
Shuai is from China and has no family
members in the United States,
according to her lawyer, Linda Pence.
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry
said his office had always been willing
to resolve the case for lesser charges.
Earlier proposed deals had been
rejected by the defense.
Curry said decisions by the trial judge
about what could and could not be
entered into evidence at the trial
played a role in the negotiations.