Charlotte man’s girlfriend gives birth to stillborn fetus after assault, CMPD says
A 21-year-old man accused of assaulting his girlfriend, who gave birth to a stillborn fetus the day after, was charged with murder of an unborn child, according to police.
Arnold Noe Santos-Deras was also charged with assault on a female, battery of an unborn child, breaking and entering, assault by strangulation and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police press release said Thursday.
A police affidavit said the woman accused Santos-Deras of breaking into her home and assaulting her on June 2.
Officers found a ladder leading to a window of her home and broken glass on the ground, the affidavit said. The woman told police Santos-Deras climbed on top of her and strangled her for about three seconds before she scratched his face and tried to hide a bathroom. He left after she called 911.
Santos-Deras was also accused of assaulting his girlfriend on Nov. 2 in the 800 block of Farmhurst Road. The woman declined to be taken to the hospital, CMPD said.
A police affidavit said the woman accused Santos-Deras of assaulting her when she went to his home to talk. She said he followed her back to her home and forced his way inside, the affidavit said. She accused him of assaulting her again, punching her in the stomach, and leaving after he got tired.
A day later, the Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner contacted the police department to notify officers that the woman received medical treatment at a hospital where she had given birth to a 15-week-old stillborn fetus.
Santos-Deras is being held at Mecklenburg County jail without bond.
This story was originally published November 6, 2025 at 6:45 PM.
