The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Norristown man charged with murder of unborn child
NORRISTOWN >> Charges have been upgraded to include murder of an unborn child against a Norristown man who previously was charged with assault in connection with allegedly beating and kicking his pregnant girlfriend in the abdomen.
Robert James Wiley, 24, of the 1000 block of Powell Street, was awaiting arraignment on Friday on charges of first- and third-degree murder of an unborn child in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between Aug. 8 and Aug. 18, 2022, and will face a preliminary hearing on the charges later this year.
Wiley will remain in the county jail without bail on the homiciderelated charges while awaiting his preliminary hearing.
Wiley originally was arrested on Aug. 18 and charged with aggravated assault of an unborn child, aggravated and simple assault, strangulation, possessing an instrument of crime, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the alleged assault of his pregnant girlfriend at the Pow
ell Street residence. Court documents indicated the woman was about 21-weeks pregnant at the time of the alleged assault.
The baby was delivered deceased on Aug. 19 and was named Naomi, according to court papers.
The homicide-related charges come after a several month investigation that included reviewing the results of an Aug. 20 autopsy conducted on the baby.
The autopsy was performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Ian Hood who also examined the placenta and umbilical cord, according to court documents. At that time, the cause and manner of death were not determined, pending further forensic tests.
Routinely, autopsy results on a fetus can take several weeks to several months to be completed.
Following the additional tests, Hood ruled on Nov. 15 that the cause of the baby’s death was intrauterine fetal demise and placental trauma, according to court documents.
“This attack on a pregnant woman by the baby’s father is the most horrific
effect of domestic violence. This vulnerable and defenseless woman awoke to a beating that ultimately killed her baby,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele alleged on Friday.
“We must protect the most vulnerable in our communities — women, children and unborn children. Sadly, in this case, all we can do is seek justice for baby Naomi.”
The investigation began on Aug. 18 when Norristown police officers were dispatched to the Genaurdi Family Center for a report of an assault of a pregnant female, according to a criminal complaint filed by Norristown Detective Joshua Keenan and county Detective John Wittenberger.
When the woman showed up at the office for a prenatal checkup, physicians observed bruising on her face and stomach and were unable to detect a fetal heartbeat or movement from the fetus, according to a criminal complaint. The woman reported that she was assaulted by Wiley, her boyfriend, and she was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.
The injuries to the victim’s face were so severe that additional imaging was conducted to determine the extent of her injuries to include trauma to the brain and facial fractures, court papers indicated.
The woman told detectives that earlier, around Aug. 8, she awoke to Wiley punching her in the face, followed by Wiley kicking her in the stomach and body.
“In addition to punching (the victim) in the face, Wiley repeatedly kicked her in the abdomen and body, announcing that he would ‘kill the baby,’” Keenan and Wittenberger alleged in the arrest affidavit. “The physical assault continued to where Wiley choked (the victim) with hands and at one point, a belt.”
The victim told detectives Wiley choked her to the point that she could not breathe and lost consciousness.
The alleged assault ceased when relatives of Wiley returned to the residence, according to court documents.
The victim described being in fear for her life during the assault, detectives said.
The investigation determined the woman’s last normal ultrasound was on Aug. 7, which indicated fetal cardiac activity and fetal movement, according to
court papers.
Assistant District Attorney Gwendolyn Kull and Assistant Chief of Trials Kathleen McLaughlin are prosecuting the case.
Defense lawyer James P. Lyons represents Wiley.
At the time of the alleged assault, Wiley was free on $10,000 unsecured bail while awaiting trial on
charges he assaulted the same woman on Jan. 14, 2022, according to court records. As a condition of bail Wiley had been ordered to have no contact “in any manner whatsoever” with the victim.
During the alleged Jan. 14 assault, Norristown police responded to the Powell Street residence and discovered
the victim hiding in the shower and observed swelling and redness to her face and blood streaming from her nose, according to court papers. The victim told police Wiley had punched her in the face several times with a closed fist and she appeared “visibly shaken and was crying,” police alleged at that time.