Woman Charged in Killing of Her Niece, Unborn Baby
- Share via
SACRAMENTO — A Sacramento woman accused of killing her pregnant teenage niece, then surgically removing the girl’s nearly full-term baby, has been charged with two counts of murder.
If convicted, Erin Rae Kuhn-Brown, 31, would face life in prison or the death penalty.
Investigators said Kuhn-Brown killed Kathaleena Draper, 17, after the teen changed her mind about letting Kuhn-Brown adopt her baby. The pair argued and Kuhn-Brown asphyxiated Draper, who was close to her delivery date, police said.
Kuhn-Brown, an emergency room technician, then tried to deliver the baby alive but the infant boy died a short time later, investigators said.
Police found Draper’s body wrapped in plastic near a Sacramento dump site Saturday, and discovered the baby’s body Tuesday near Fallon, Nev.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette on Wednesday ordered Kuhn-Brown jailed without bail. She is scheduled to enter pleas July 12.
Draper moved from Las Vegas three months ago to live with her aunt in Sacramento. Detectives believe the pair argued Thursday on the way back to Draper’s mother’s home in Las Vegas and Kuhn-Brown killed Draper and surgically removed the baby.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
