COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) — A murder charge against Mississippi woman has been dismissed by Lowndes County Circuit Judge Jim Kitchens.
Rennie Gibbs, now 24, was charged with murder for her alleged role in the 2006 stillborn death of her child.
Prosecutors said Gibbs caused the child's death by using cocaine during her pregnancy. Gibbs was 16 at the time of the child's stillbirth.
Kitchens dismissed the charge against Gibbs on Wednesday. Kitchens said Mississippi law is unclear on what charge, if any, should be filed when a pregnant woman allegedly consumed illegal drugs and allegedly caused the stillborn death of her child.
But Assistant District Attorney Mark Jackson said prosecutors will present manslaughter charges to a grand jury in July.
"The Supreme Court has since decided that murder did not apply based on their interpretation of the statute. Like Judge Kitchens, we are bound to try cases with the parameters set by the Supreme Court. While I don't agree with their opinion, our office will prosecute all cases based on what we believe to be the law at that time," Jackson said.
Gibb's attorney, Carrie Jourdan, said she was elated with Kitchens' decision but was disappointed that prosecutors will attempt to try the case again.
"We are incredibly relieved for our client who has been through a great deal. I'm of course disappointed that the state is considering a manslaughter case against her. With that possibility looming, I can't say a great deal except we had filed separate motions related to the science and other facts in this case that we found equally compelling," Jourdan said.
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