A newlywed accused of stabbing his pregnant wife has pleaded not guilty to two counts of capital murder after the woman and baby died in western Arkansas.
Prosecutor Dan Shue says a judge appointed a public defender to represent James Herring during a court appearance Thursday. The local public defender didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Authorities say Herring stabbed his pregnant wife, Celestia Duffin, in the chest on Tuesday. Duffin managed to run to the nearby Fort Smith police station, where she collapsed. They had been married for about a week.
Medics rushed her to a hospital and doctors delivered the baby boy, but both Duffin and the infant died.
Shue says he'll decide within the next few weeks whether to pursue the death penalty.
