Kriti Mehrotra
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Impact of Murder: Stolen Dreams’ tells the tale of how Dynel Lane beat, stabbed, and removed an unborn baby from a seven-month pregnant woman’s stomach on March 18, 2015, in Longmont, Colorado, under the guise of selling her maternity and baby clothes on Craigslist. She committed such a heinous crime and then felt no guilt whatsoever, as she left her victim, Michelle Wilkins, to bleed out in the basement of her home. Fortunately, though, Michelle survived, and, to this day, is telling the world her story. The episode chronicles every aspect of this case to help us understand what really happened that day and how.
Who Is Dynel Lane?
Dynel Catrece Lane was 34 in 2015 and a former nurse’s aide when she posted the ad on Craigslist claiming that she was selling maternity and baby clothes. Prior to that, though, in 2014, she had told her longtime partner, David Ridley, and their friends that she was pregnant and was expecting very soon. However, that was not possible as she had gotten her tubes tied that same year, after experiencing the loss of her son. So, as if to deal with the lie, she posted the ad. When Michelle Wilkins showed interest on March 17, 2015, Dynel invited her to her home in Longmont, Colorado. The two women met up the very next day, just before noon, and got to talking as they sifted through the clothes.
Every time Michelle tried to leave, Dynel began a conversation with her all over again. Eventually, as Michelle turned around and started walking up the stairs of the basement, she felt something hit her back. It was Dynel, she was pulling at Michelle’s sweater and scratching her. Then, she punched her and pushed her to the bed, where she proceeded to smash a glass bottle over her head. Subsequently, she used a glass shard and stabbed Michelle in the neck, rendering her unconscious. In the end, Dynel cut up her victim’s abdomen, from hip to hip, and then abducted her baby. When her partner arrived home a while later, Dynel told him that she had a miscarriage and the baby was in the bathtub.
In the hospital, after the baby was pronounced dead, Dynel Lane told a doctor that Michelle had attacked her and that she had killed her in self-defense. Then, she told them that she removed the fetus in an attempt to save it. Despite all these careful words, when Michelle woke up after surgery the next day and discovered what had been done to her and her unborn daughter, Dynel’s web of lies became undone.
Where Is Dynel Lane Today?
Dynel Lane was arrested and charged on six felony counts soon after the truth came out, and then, she was held at the Boulder County Jail until her trial began in February of 2016. During the hearing, Michelle Wilkins took to the stands to recount her experiences and asked the jury to give Dynel the maximum possible sentence so that she could get time to atone, reflect, and pray on her actions. Dynel herself refused to testify on her own behalf, but she never refuted the statements that were made by anyone else. She only cried when her friends and family told the jury about how she had lost her son some time ago. Even when her mother and sister called her a loving and compassionate person who would never commit such an attack, she remained expressionless.
When it became clear that Dynel Lane would be found guilty, her defense team requested the court to give her concurrent sentences instead of consecutive ones, citing that her cooperation in the case and in prison showcased her ability to be rehabilitated. After Dynel was convicted, in April of 2016, she was sentenced to serve a total of 100 years in prison. It was categorized by the following charges: Attempted murder – maximum of 48 years plus 5 years of parole (consecutive); Unlawful termination of pregnancy – maximum of 32 years plus 5 years of parole (consecutive); Two counts of first-degree assault – 10 years plus 5 years of parole each (consecutive); and Second-degree assault, 5 years plus 3 years of parole (concurrent).
Dynel Lane, 40, appealed her conviction this year, but it was upheld by the Colorado Court of Appeals in July, therefore, to this date, she remains behind bars.
Read More: Where Is Michelle Wilkins Now?
