A North Dakota man was sentenced to life in prison Monday for his role in the August 2017 fetal abduction of a pregnant woman who was found dead days after her disappearance.
William Hoehn, 33, was acquitted of conspiracy to murder Savannah LaFontaine-Greywind, 22, but had pleaded guilty to kidnapping her baby and lying to police. The ruling comes nearly a year after Hoehn’s then-girlfriend, Brooke Crews, 39, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after admitting to abducting LaFontaine-Greywind, her upstairs neighbor, and cutting her baby from her womb.
Though the maximum sentence for kidnapping is 20 years, The Bemidji Pioneer reported that the prosecution successfully argued that Hoehn was a dangerous offender, resulting in his sentence being upgraded to life in prison with the chance of parole.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, LaFontaine-Greywind disappeared from her Fargo apartment on August 19, 2017. Kayakers found the woman’s remains wrapped in plastic near the Red River on August 27.
Crews and Hoehn were arrested on August 24 after authorities found the victim’s 2-day-old baby girl, later named Haisley Jo, alive in their apartment. The baby girl was uninjured and custody was awarded to the child’s father following a drawn-out legal battle.
Hoehn has repeatedly denied knowing that Crews planned to kidnap LaFontaine-Greywind and steal her baby. However, he admitted to hiding the newborn girl and lying to law enforcement as they investigated the pregnant woman’s disappearance.
According to The Pioneer, a medical examiner testified that they couldn’t determine an exact cause or time of death. This allowed the defense to argue that Hoehn possibly arrived home after LaFontaine-Greywind died.
Additional Reading:
Boyfriend who covered for killer girlfriend NOT GUILTY of conspiring to murder young mom
Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind: Suspect CONFESSES to kidnapping, murder of pregnant woman
‘It’s all over with finally:’ Boyfriend awarded custody of slain pregnant woman’s baby girl
‘She is beautiful:’ Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind’s family finally see baby
‘She’s exactly what I want:’ ANOTHER mom says she had ‘bizarre’ encounter with suspect in pregnant Fargo woman’s murder
Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind died from ‘homicidal violence’: Autopsy [UPDATE]
Body of missing Fargo woman, 8 months pregnant, found wrapped in plastic in a river
[Featured Image: William Hoehn, Brooke Lynn Crews/Fargo Police Department; Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind/KVLY]
