Pregnant mother who drove her three kids into the ocean 'tried to harm unborn child after her arrest by beating her stomach with her fists'

The South Carolina woman who drove into the sea in an alleged attempt to kill her three children also tried to harm her unborn child, a court in Florida heard. Ebony Wilkerson, who is 28 weeks pregnant, was seen ‘beating her stomach with her fists’ after her arrest. The 32-year-old was taken to a psychiatric ward where she has been kept for observation after being sectioned under the Baker Act. Details of the latest violence came at a bond hearing for Wilkerson. She has been charged with attempted murder after driving her minivan into the ocean at Daytona Beach, Florida. Her three children, aged three, nine and 10, were rescued by witnesses and lifeguards. Authorities said Wilkerson, who had driven from her home in South Carolina, deliberately drove into the ocean while her three kids were strapped inside. Details of her attempt to harm her unborn child came from State Attorney R.J. Larizza who said Wilkerson was taken to a psychiatric ward when she was seen ‘beating her stomach with her fists’ after her arrest. He told a court her unborn child was at risk saying she was ‘helpless’. Chief Assistant Public Defender Craig S. Dyer suggested Wilkerson's actions resulted from inhumane conditions. He said at the time she was being held naked in an isolation cell. Dyer argued that Wilkerson should have her $1.2m bond suspended and she should be admitted to Halifax Health for care. ‘I believe that Mrs. Wilkerson can be helped,’ said Dr. James Moore, a psychiatrist. He described Wilkerson's detention as so restrictive that it will complicate mental health treatment. ‘She's limited in her ability even for such things as getting fresh air,’ The judge also heard from Dr. Pamela Carbiener, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist, who said Wilkerson's pregnancy is complicated by several factors and she has risk factors for premature birth. ‘I think she has significant high-risk issues,’ Carbiener said. Judge Leah Case declined to release Wilkerson to the hospital. According to the Orlando Sentinel, she set a March 25 follow-up hearing, inviting the defense to provide case law supporting its proposal. Wilkerson's family has said she drove into the water days after leaving her husband, following 14 years of abuse in South Carolina. Her children have told investigators she had been behaving erratically since arriving in Florida. Tourists on the beach caught the horrifying ordeal on camera, andthe footage shows that Wilkerson was physically able to escape the vehicle. In video taken by Simon Besner, a tourist from Canada, the woman can be seen outside the van as lifeguards try to pull her children from the vehicle. Witnesses described her hopping out of the car window as her screaming children remained seat-belted in the back. Waves nearly pushed her under the van. 'It was a bit terrifying,' said Besner.