Man found guilty in attack on pregnant girlfriend

A Hennepin County jury has found a man guilty for hiring a friend to attack his pregnant girlfriend.

Dameon D. Gatson, 25, was convicted of first and second-degree in the attack, which prompted the woman, who was six months pregnant, to go into labor. The woman's baby later died.

On the day of April 21, Gatson's friend asked the girlfriend, who was at a friend's apartment in St. Louis Park, to talk in the hall when he hit her two or three times in the abdomen and fled, the complaint stated.

After contractions began, she was taken to Methodists Hospital, then transferred to Hennepin County Medical Center, according to police. She gave birth to a 1.9 pound baby girl with significant health problems who died 10 days later at HCMC. A woman at a nearby gas station saw a man leave the store and get into a white car. Moments later, she saw another man running from apartment building into the same car, according to the complaint.

A worker at the station said that Gatson had come into the store to use the bathroom on April 21, police said.

In the complaint, his friend admitted that Gatson offered him $200 to attack his girlfriend but only received $40 after the assault.

Gaston will be sentenced Nov. 12.