PRESCOTT, AZ — A Prescott man was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for restraining his wife and attempting to kill their unborn baby, the Yavapai County Attorney's Office announced.
Justin Noecker, 43, will serve seven years of supervised probation after his prison sentence.
In October 2024, Prescott police and the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office were called to a home outside Prescott city limits.
The victim had told police she had recently learned she was nine weeks pregnant.
While the victim said she and Noecker were looking forward to having the child, the two had a fight in the days after learning about the pregnancy.
During that fight, Noecker told her he would give her an abortion, and then restrained her and repeatedly stomped on her stomach.
She was taken to the hospital, but the baby did not survive.
While the baby's cause of death could not be determined, Noecker was charged with attempted murder as he believed the baby was alive at the time of the crime, according to the Yavapai County Attorney's Office.
County Attorney Dennis McGrane is also calling on the state legislature to increase the penalties for crimes of this nature after this incident.
