# Woman in coma gives birth **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 7, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356 "2019-01-07T14:58:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356/121 "2019-03-05T16:02:50Z")
The defendant, Nathan Sutherland, has entered a not-guilty plea and voluntarily surrendered his nursing license: [Hacienda rape suspect Nathan Sutherland enters not guilty plea](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-health/2019/02/05/hacienda-rape-suspect-nathan-sutherland-enters-not-guilty-plea/2770683002/) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356/122 "2019-03-06T15:13:36Z")
> [@](#): > > During the initial appearance, Sutherland’s attorney said there was “minimum evidence” his client committed the crime, and they intended to have their own DNA testing performed. Minimal evidence? A woman in a coma gives birth to a baby with your DNA, and that’s minimal evidence? Unless he has an identical twin brother who was in a position to rape the woman, he is screwed. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356/123 "2019-03-06T16:26:55Z")
I expect he’s going to use the Boris Becker defence of semen transfer. Someone obtained his semen and fertilised the patient with it. Being on the hook for child support is far less of a penalty than a rape conviction. If he had been having a relationship with one of the other members of staff at the time that ended I might even believe it. Remember that the prosecution have to prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356/124 "2019-03-06T18:16:55Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I expect he’s going to use the Boris Becker defence of semen transfer. Someone obtained his semen and fertilised the patient with it. Being on the hook for child support is far less of a penalty than a rape conviction. If he had been having a relationship with one of the other members of staff at the time that ended I might even believe it. > > Remember that the prosecution have to prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt. I have never heard of this Boris Becker defense. Could you elucidate? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356/125 "2019-03-06T18:27:16Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > [Link](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/01/05/woman-vegetative-state-gave-birth-now-police-are-investigating-sexual-assault/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1962227cdcde). Can you imagine the kind of abuse and neglect it takes to not only rape a comatose patient, but also not notice a baby growing inside of her until she gives birth to him? This is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. Don’t know. I see the other day a 90+ yo woman in an assisted living center being insulted, beaten and thrown around by a nurse while she was begging for mercy (literally using this word, or rather the French equivalent) and I found it pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356/126 "2019-03-06T18:50:15Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > I have never heard of this Boris Becker defense. Could you elucidate? My earlier reply got lunches. TLDR Someone gave BB a BJ and saved the sperm and inseminated herself. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356/127 "2019-03-06T18:53:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve a hunch that, as the story develops, one obvious suspect will emerge, with enough probable cause that the police will be able to get a warrant for his DNA. > > That said, a legal hypothetical: Suppose that it were possible to narrow down the list of possible suspects to a finite and manageable number. And suppose that all but one of those men voluntarily offered a DNA sample to the police, and that all of those samples were verified as not being the father. Could that fact be used as evidence against the last suspect? This happened in France, following the rape/murder of a British teen on a school trip at a youth hotel in a village. All men residing in the village volunteered for DNA testing except one dude. The police got a warrant as a result, but the test was negative. He was just opposed on principle to this general DNA testing. The actual culprit was finally identified years later but stayed at large for a long time. Finally, one day, an American immigration officer in an airport was reading an article about the case in a newspaper when a guy looking exactly like the wanted man he had just seen the picture of showed up at his desk. He was promptly arrested and extradited. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-in-coma-gives-birth/827356.md?page=6)