A judge dismissed a “depraved heart” murder charge against a Mississippi woman who delivered a stillborn baby and positive for a metabolite of cocaine. Rennie Gibbs was 16 years old when she delivered her stillborn child in 2006. There was never any evidence that drugs caused the demise of the fetus, which was born with the cord wrapped around its neck. 

The judge dismissed the case on a legal technicality:

[Lowndes County Circuit Court Judge Jim] Kitchens dismissed the charge against Gibbs Wednesday. Citing Mississippi Supreme Court case Buckhalter v. State, he said the law was unclear on the appropriate charge for Gibbs.

“Gibbs was indicted prior to Buckhalter and the law was unclear in Mississippi as to the appropriate charge, if any, to be levied when a pregnant woman allegedly consumed illegal drugs and allegedly caused the death of her unborn child,” Kitchens ruling stated.

He added, “Accordingly, pursuant to the Mississippi Supreme Court’s ruling this case for depraved heart murder is dismissed without prejudice.” [CD]

Nina Martin of ProPublica and the other reporters who kept this case in the spotlight probably had a lot to do with justice finally being served, at least for the time being. 

The prosecutor has pledged to send the case back to a grand jury in August. 

• Are college football players employees?

• A Red Sox hero’s son had a long history of violence against women, but he kept getting second chances until, finally, he killed one.

• A computer glitch left thousands of NC food stamp recipients hungry.

• Hobby Lobby claims it just wants to be left to discriminate against its women, but a new expose shows one of the chain’s owners is spending big to spread his religious agenda nationwide.

[Photo credit: Wander Mule, Creative Commons.]

As part of the 103rd Commemoration of the Triangle Factory Fire in Manhattan, yesterday, a fire truck demonstrated how a ladder couldn’t reach the upper floors of the burning factory, forcing workers to jump to their deaths. One hundred and forty-six workers died that day. The outrage over the Triangle Fire helped usher in a new era of workers’ rights and occupational health and safety.

Video by Alexandra Lescaze.  

Tune in tonight at 10pm Eastern to see Hillman Executive Director Alexandra Lescaze’s new documentary, “All of Me,” a revealing look at how weight-loss surgery is changing the lives of women in a fat acceptance group in Austin, Texas. “The Girls,” as they call themselves, have been supporting each other as fat women for decades. One by one, longtime members are peeling off to have surgery, with very mixed results.

The spate of surgeries forces The Girls to reassess their friendships, their priorities, and even their marriages. “All of Me” uses these women’s stories of weight-loss surgery to examine universal themes like friendship, sexuality, and the nature of self-acceptance.

Whether you think weight-loss-surgery is mutilation or liberation, “All of Me” will make you reconsider your position. 

“All of Me” premieres Monday, March 24 at 10pm Eastern on PBS’s Independent Lens, TV’s leading showcase of independent documentary film.