NEW YORK (AP) - A teenage girl found carrying a dead fetus in a shopping bag at a Manhattan lingerie store is headed toward trial on shoplifting charges as authorities continue investigating the circumstances of the fetus' death.
A judge on Tuesday scheduled hearings and a trial Jan. 23 on the misdemeanor theft and stolen property possession charges, the only ones that have been lodged against the 17-year-old. Meanwhile, a friend also facing shoplifting charges in the same incident pleaded guilty to a lesser offense.
Medical examiners are still determining whether the fetus was alive when delivered and what caused the death. Depending on the results, more charges could ensue.
The case began when a security guard at a midtown Manhattan Victoria's Secret store stopped the two girls to examine their bags Oct. 17. The fetus was inside one of the bags, police said.
The girl who was carrying that bag maintains her innocence in the shoplifting case. She's accused of trying to leave the shop without paying for a $45 pair of pants, according to a criminal court complaint.
Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Erika Edwards on Tuesday turned down a defense request to dismiss the charges.
The girl's lawyers wouldn't discuss this week how the fetus came to be in the bag, but one of the attorneys, Earl Ward, said they don't believe there's any basis for further charges against her.
The girl's friend, also 17, was charged with taking about $200 worth of shirts and other items.