A jury found William Kelly guilty on Thursday of killing his girlfriend and her unborn child, marking the first use in New Hampshire of a 2018 fetal homicide law.
Kelly assaulted Christine Falzone inside their Ossipee home in December 2023, prosecutors alleged. Falzone was 33 years old and between 35 and 37 weeks pregnant, according to an autopsy by the state’s deputy chief medical examiner.
Kelly was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder by a Carroll County jury, the first successful prosecution under a law that allows defendants to face potential life sentences for killing a fetus that is at least 20 weeks old.
Kelly will be sentenced in August.
“Domestic violence can have devastating and irreversible consequences, and we hope this verdict provides a measure of justice for Christine and her unborn child,” New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement.
In 2023, police responded to Kelly’s single-room home after he called to say Falzone was unconscious and not breathing. She was found bleeding from the head, and had other visible bruises. Falzone’s father later told authorities that Kelly had a history of physically abusing his daughter.
Former Gov. Chris Sununu signed the fetal homicide bill into law. Under a prior statute, defendants could face a maximum of 15 years in prison for killing a fetus that is at least 20 weeks old.
