BROWARD COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A man is in police custody Friday afternoon after police say he beat a pregnant woman with such force that he killed the unborn baby inside of her. The Broward Sheriff’s Office provided this statement to BocaNewsNow.com:
Broward Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit detectives have arrested 34-year-old Emmanuel Prevaly on a charge of killing of an unborn child by injury to the mother.
According to homicide unit detectives, around 12:41 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 23, Broward County Regional Communications received a report of a masked man beating a pregnant woman with a baseball bat in the 1200 block of South Dixie Highway West, Pompano Beach. Witnesses heard the victim’s screams and ran to help. At that point, the attacker fled. One of the witnesses caught up to the attacker and restrained him until BSO Pompano Beach District deputies arrived.
Following the attack, Pompano Beach Fire Rescue transported the victim, who was approximately 22 weeks pregnant, to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment of various injuries.
BSO’s Special Victim’s Unit detectives responded to conduct an investigation. It was learned that the victim was walking to her apartment after retrieving an item from her car when Prevaly walked up to her and beat her with the baseball bat while kicking her repeatedly in the stomach. When the victim tried to use her cellphone to call for help, the phone fell to the ground, and Prevaly took it.
Prevaly, who is known to the victim, was arrested on Feb. 23, the day of the attack, on charges of attempted felony murder and depriving the victim of calling 911. He was transported to the Broward County Main Jail and has remained in custody.
The investigation further revealed that following the attack, doctors were unable to detect a heartbeat on the unborn child, and the unborn child was pronounced deceased.
BSO’s Homicide Unit worked with the Broward State Attorney’s Office and the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office on this investigation. The ME’s Office determined the unborn child’s cause of death to be from multiple blunt force injuries, leading to Prevaly’s arrest on the additional charge on Thursday, Feb. 29, of killing an unborn child. Prevaly is currently being held in the Broward County Main Jail without bond.
