Nurse accused of impregnating incapacitated woman at Arizona facility fighting STD tests
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The former nurse accused of raping and impregnating an incapacitated patient in Arizona will fight a court-ordered HIV and STD test, his lawyer said Tuesday.
Nathan Sutherland’s attorney argued in Maricopa County Superior Court that the tests would violate his client’s constitutional rights — and claimed it would be easier for the victim to undergo testing, according to the Arizona Republic.
ARIZONA NURSE INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY RAPING INCAPACITATED WOMAN
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“They want to test him for HIV and I don’t know why they don’t just test the person they believe has it,” attorney Edward Molina told the paper after the hearing.
Molina also argued that the 29-year-old victim was likely tested after she gave birth to a baby boy Dec. 29 anyway and called the request a “fishing expedition.”
Authorities say Sutherland, who will turn 37 next month, was working as a nurse at Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix when he raped the severely disabled victim, who had been a patient at the facility since the age of three when she survived a near-drowning.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Employees said they had no clue she was even pregnant when she gave birth, sparking statewide investigations.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Investigators say Sutherland’s DNA matched a sample from the woman’s newborn, who is being taken care of by her family. He has pleaded not guilty.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A hearing on the blood test matter was scheduled for March 26. And a complex case management hearing was set for May 21.