Man charged with killing woman pregnant with his child

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) - A Brooklyn Park man is charged with killing the woman pregnant with his child and the fetus.

Senicha Lessman was found dead in her Eagan townhome by her mother Tuesday afternoon. A criminal complaint says her throat was cut and a cloth was stuffed in her mouth. The 25-year-old woman was eight months pregnant.

Prosecutors have charged the baby’s father, Vern Mouelle, with second-degree murder with intent and second-degree murder of an unborn child. The Pioneer Press (https://bit.ly/2kAOldX ) says he appeared in court Thursday where bail was set at $2 million without conditions.

The victim’s mother, Margi Lessman, says her daughter was a “loving, kind, smart and beautiful young woman who was very excited to be a mother.”

It’s unclear whether Mouelle has hired an attorney.

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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, https://www.twincities.com