An 18-year-old is sitting in the Dallas County Jail after what police describe as a violent mid-May assault that investigators say caused the death of a pregnant woman's unborn child. Detectives have now upgraded the case, added a more serious charge and assigned a formal case number as their work continues.
According to the Dallas Police Department, Dallas officers were called to a local hospital on May 16 after staff reported that a patient had been assaulted the previous evening in the 200 block of Fran Way. Investigators say their preliminary findings indicate that 18-year-old Xavier Phifer assaulted the pregnant woman, who arrived at the hospital by private vehicle. Medical staff then discovered her unborn child had died. Phifer was taken into custody on May 21 and first booked on a charge of Assault of a Pregnant Person, a third-degree felony. Detectives later added a separate count of Injury to a Child, a first-degree felony, after they concluded the unborn child's death was tied to the assault. The case is listed under number 070044-2026, and the department reports that Phifer remains in the Dallas County Jail.
What the charges mean
Under Texas law, an assault is treated more seriously when the accused knows the victim is pregnant, allowing prosecutors to pursue the offense as a third-degree felony. Injury to a child is addressed in Texas Penal Code Section 22.04 and can be charged as a first-degree felony if the defendant is alleged to have intentionally or knowingly caused serious bodily injury or death. As set out in Texas Penal Code Sections 22.01 and 22.04, these statutes spell out what prosecutors must prove in court and the potential punishment ranges for each offense.
How to help
Anyone who has information about the case is asked to contact Det. A. Joslin at 214-671-4095 or by email at [email protected], according to the department's post. Investigators say they are still gathering evidence and preparing the file for review by the Dallas County District Attorney's office. For the department's full bulletin and additional contact information, see the Dallas Police Department.
The charges outlined by police are allegations, and Phifer is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court. Dallas police say the investigation is ongoing, and the District Attorney's office will decide what charges, if any, move forward from here.
