WALKER, LA (WAFB) -
A man accused of attacking his pregnant wife and killing their unborn baby appeared in court for a hearing Thursday for the first time since the October incident. On his way into court, Jeffery Reynolds blamed synthetic marijuana for what happened.
Reynolds, 31, appeared in court with his hands and feet shackled and he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
As he was going into court he told reporters, "I love my wife and son with all my heart. I hope the state will enforce laws against synthetic drugs that has ruined my family."
During his court appearance, another motions hearing was scheduled on his bond revocations.
The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office said Reynolds attacked his wife, Paula, 28, with a kitchen knife at their Walker, LA home on Oct. 23, 2012.
Investigators said he stabbed her in the abdomen and cut their baby out of her. She survived the attack.
A toxicology test was run on Reynolds, but at last report, the results had not been sent back to authorities.
Reynolds remains behind bars on $500,000 bond. He is charged with first-degree feticide and second-degree attempted murder.
Less than a week later, the Livingston Parish coroner reported the baby was accidentally cremated. The coroner said the Livingston Parish Government does not maintain a morgue and has always relied on a private sector funeral home for morgue services.
In a statement released by the coroner, a funeral home employee mistakenly removed and cremated the baby before an autopsy could be performed.
Livingston Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux reportedly said the cremation voids the possibility of upgrading the feticide count to one of murder.
Previously, Perrilloux said if evidence showed the unborn baby had begun to breathe before it was killed, that the feticide count may be upgraded to murder.
However, Perrilloux said he believes the current counts against the suspect in the case can still be prosecuted.
Copyright 2013 WAFB. All rights reserved.
Jeffery Reynolds (Source: Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office)
Jeffery Reynolds walking out of court hearing
