Shahidah Barnes was just months away from giving birth to her child. Sunday, she was killed. The story is now raising awareness about pregnancy and domestic violence.
"That risk is increased during pregnancy. It's a time where a woman is incredibly vulnerable both physically and emotionally," said forensic nurse at GBMC Healthcare Laura Clary.
Baltimore police have classified the incident as domestic, something more common than you might think for pregnant women.
"This type of crime is about power and control that one person has over another person and often times that abusive partner actually becomes jealous of the unborn baby," Clary said.
Police are still investigating the case. With the suspect dead, the investigation becomes even harder and more sensitive.
"Right now the medical examiner will make the determination if that child was viable outside the womb. So at this point we are dealing with a single murder situation," said T.J. Smith, spokesperson for the Baltimore City Police Department.
Those that knew the Barnes are baffled over what happened.
"With outsiders looking in, you wouldn't think that something is going wrong. You would think that's just an ordinary family," Selden said.
But domestic violence experts say looks are deceiving.
"One study found that homicide is a leading cause of death of pregnant women in the state of Maryland and actually two-thirds of those deaths were committed by an intimate partner," Clary said.
Anyone with information on the Barnes murder is asked to call police or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
