Devastating Blow: North Texas Inmate Punches Pregnant Hospital Worker, Killing Unborn Child, Police Say

An inmate in North Texas has been charged with murder for reportedly punching a pregnant hospital worker in the stomach, which led to the death of her unborn child, according to authorities.

Around 12:20 p.m. on April 12, a hospital worker at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth was treating an inmate who was in custody of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, WFAA reported.

The inmate, identified as 39-year-old Cheri Akil, was suicidal at the time and being restrained, officials said.

The hospital worker, who has not been named, was standing next to the inmate’s bed when Akil punched her in the stomach, according to officials.

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The worker was pregnant and immediately taken to the hospital’s trauma unit, where medical staff determined that her unborn child did not have a pulse, officers said.

Akil was charged with murder and is being held in a secure area of the hospital, officials said.

She was previously being held by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office on charges of credit or debit card abuse, driving while intoxicated and a game room violation, court records show.