Man accused of beating mother of his unborn baby with baseball bat, killing fetus

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida man is accused of beating a woman who was pregnant with his unborn child with a metal baseball bat, killing the 5-month-old fetus, authorities said.

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Emmanuel Prevaly, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, was arrested on Feb. 23 and charged with one count of attempted felony murder and one count of depriving the victim of calling 911, according to Broward County Sheriff’s Office online booking records and a news release.

Wearing a ski mask and wearing all-black clothing, a man attacked the woman with the bat shortly before 1 a.m. EST as she approached her Pompano Beach apartment from the complex’s parking lot, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

According to an arrest affidavit, the man, later identified as Prevaly, allegedly hit her head and arms with the bat and kicked her in the stomach, the newspaper reported. The victim had fractures in her spine and a deep gash that needed stitches, according to an arrest affidavit.

The victim was 22 weeks pregnant at the time of the attack.

The woman’s cellphone fell onto the ground during the attack, and she attempted to use her iPhone’s virtual assistant to call 911, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Prevaly took the phone and continued beating her, WTVJ reported.

She did not know that Prevaly was the assailant because of his mask, WPLG-TV reported. The man fled the area after witnesses heard the victim screaming and responded to the area, according to the television station.

Deputies said doctors “were unable to detect a heartbeat on the unborn child” and the Broward County medical examiner later determined the fetus’ cause of death to be from “multiple blunt force injuries,” WPLG reported.

When the victim was told that Prevaly was the alleged attacker, she was “in complete shock,” WTVJ reported, citing the affidavit.

She told detectives that she had known the suspect since she was 8 years old and had recently been dating him, according to the Sun-Sentinel. She told authorities that Prevaly had accompanied her when she went to her latest doctor’s appointment.

The woman said she told Prevaly when she was seven weeks pregnant that the unborn child was his, but added that he “was not ready,” WTVJ reported.

Prevaly remains in custody in the Broward County Main Jail, the sheriff’s office said.

A defense attorney representing Prevaly did not return an email seeking comment, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

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