Man, 34, 'researched miscarriages before beating his pregnant girlfriend so badly that the baby's remains had to be removed by cesarean'

  • Torey Branch and an accomplice allegedly attacked Mia Jones in the hallway of her building on March 28, 2014
  • Police told jurors that Branch googled phrases like 'Can being hit in the stomach cause a miscarriage?' before the alleged assault
  • Jones was pummeled so badly that she had to have an emergency cesarean to remove the dead child's remains

By Alexandra Klausner For Dailymail.com

Published: 11:31 EST, 8 February 2016 | Updated: 14:17 EST, 8 February 2016

Beaten: Torey Branch, 34, is accused of beating girlfriend Mia Jones (pictured after the assault) so badly that she needed an emergency c-section 

Beaten: Torey Branch, 34, is accused of beating girlfriend Mia Jones (pictured after the assault) so badly that she needed an emergency c-section 

A New York man who is accused of beating his pregnant girlfriend after she refused to have an abortion allegedly googled how to kill an unborn child.

Torey Branch and an accomplice allegedly attacked Mia Jones in the hallway of her building on March 28, 2014 while she was nearly seven months pregnant. 

Police this week told jurors that Branch googled phrases like 'Can being hit in the stomach cause a miscarriage?' and 'What happens if a pregnant woman gets hit in the stomach?' two months before the alleged assault.

Police this week said that Branch deleted texts that he wrote to Jones in the days leading up to the attack and even the morning of.

'I wanna f**k,' he reportedly texted her in the hours before the attack, according to the New York Post.

'Can being hit in the stomach cause a miscarriage?' he supposedly typed in his web browser two weeks before Jones was pummeled so badly that she had to have an emergency cesarean to remove the dead child's remains.

Jones was on her way home from a doctor's appointment when police say Branch and another masked man beat her.

Jones previously testified that Branch tried to convince her to have an abortion and even made appointments for her to do so and offered her money. She refused. The baby would have been named Kennedy.

Search history: Police this week told jurors that Torey Branch (pictured in court in December) googled phrases like 'Can being hit in the stomach cause a miscarriage?' and 'What happens if a pregnant woman gets hit in the stomach?' before the alleged assault

Search history: Police this week told jurors that Torey Branch (pictured in court in December) googled phrases like 'Can being hit in the stomach cause a miscarriage?' and 'What happens if a pregnant woman gets hit in the stomach?' before the alleged assault

'I just wanted to hold her I wanted her to breathe and wake up, she was lifeless so was so innocent and beautiful. I loved her with all my life,' Jones testified in Branch’s Brooklyn Supreme Court criminal trial on February 6.

After the alleged beating, Jones was left with two fractured eyes and she needed two blood transfusions and stitches for the wound to her eye, according to The New York Daily News. 

'My face was really big and heavy... I was in the most pain of my entire life,' she told the court a few days ago.

If convicted, Branch faces up to 25 years in prison. He is charged with burglary, abortion, and criminal trespass.

A man named Elijah Green was originally found to be the second man in the attack but surveillance footage showed that the actual attacker was six inches shorter.

'I felt bad for saying it was him. I didn't want someone to get locked up for something they didn't do,' Jones said.

'I thought it was him. I believed it was him.'

Branch's attorneys have argued that  Jones had multiple sexual partners, one of which could have been responsible for the attack. 

Faces time: If convicted, Branch (pictured in court in December) faces up to 25 years in prison. He is charged with burglary, abortion, and criminal trespass

Faces time: If convicted, Branch (pictured in court in December) faces up to 25 years in prison. He is charged with burglary, abortion, and criminal trespass

Comments (161)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now