Woman accused of killing pregnant woman, baby pleads not guilty

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A Milwaukee woman accused of killing a pregnant woman and trying to steal her full-term fetus has dropped her insanity plea.

Annette Morales-Rodriguez had pleaded insanity to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide. She's accused of killing 23-year-old Maritza Ramirez-Cruz last October and slicing out the fetus to pass off the child as her own. The boy also died.

An earlier defense team planned to pursue an insanity defense. The court-ordered doctor didn't find evidence to support that plea and the judge said the opinion of someone hired by the previous defense attorneys would not stand up in court.

She changed her plea to not guilty during a hearing Thursday.

Her attorneys had no comment. The trial is set to begin Monday.

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