Shannon Richardson Update: Texas woman in custody in ricin letters case gives birth prematurely

(AP) DALLAS - Shannon Richardson, the Texas woman accused of sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has given birth prematurely to a baby boy while in custody.

PICTURES: Texas woman arrested in ricin case

Attorneys for Richardson and her husband Nathan say she gave birth July 4 to a boy named Brody. Shannon Richardson's attorney, Tonda Curry, says the baby faces serious medical issues due to the premature birth and remains hospitalized.

John Delk, Nathan Richardson's attorney, says the boy weighed less than 2 pounds at birth and arrived four months early.

A federal affidavit alleges Richardson contacted authorities to try to implicate her husband in the ricin letters case before being arrested herself on June 7.

She's accused of sending the letters to Obama, Bloomberg and a man who heads Bloomberg's gun-control organization.

Complete coverage of the ricin case on Crimesider