Md. man acquitted in shooting of pregnant woman
Associated Press
11/07/09 2:35 PM PST
ANNAPOLIS, MD. — A Maryland man has been acquitted of charges he tried to erase a $400 drug debt by shooting a pregnant woman.
Jerold Burks, 22, was acquitted by an Anne Arundel County jury Friday. The jury deliberated seven hours over two days before finding him not guilty of attempted murder, conspiracy and related charges.
Prosecutors said that Burks shot the woman, Jodi Torok, at the request of Charles Brandon Martin, 32. They said Torok was one of Martin's girlfriends, and he was angry she refused to have an abortion.
Torok was shot in the head in the foyer of her Crofton home in October 2008. She was paralyzed, and her fetus did not survive.
Martin's trial is scheduled to start at the end of the month.
___
Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com
