Last week, Starr County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Lizelle Herrera on a charge of murder for self-inducing an abortion after a grand jury indictment. A judge set the 26-year-old’s bond at $500,000. Herrera spent two nights in jail before she was released on Saturday after advocates at If/When/How, a reproductive rights group, posted bail from its Repro Legal Defense Fund. As Herrera’s arrest became national headlines, Ramirez abruptly reversed course and filed a motion to drop the case against her.
On Monday, a judge formally dismissed the charge against Herrera. Gocha Allen Ramirez, the Starr County District Attorney, said Herrera never should have been taken into custody. The indictment, signed and filed on March 30 in Starr County, stated Herrera allegedly killed “individual J.A.H. by a self-induced abortion” in early January.
It is unclear who, if anyone, should be held responsible for the mistreatment of Herrera. Few details about the decisions that resulted in a murder charge have been revealed. In January, Herrera went to a Starr County hospital for treatment. Staff at the hospital contacted the Sheriff’s Office after Herrera reportedly said her symptoms were related to an abortion. It is a mystery why the medical workers reported Herrera to law enforcement, why Ramirez’s office pursued a murder charge, and why a grand jury and a judge chose to agree with the prosecution.
