Not guilty plea to harming fetus

A Wellesley woman accused of beating a pregnant woman in a Boston nail salon so severely that she lost her 6-month old fetus has pleaded not guilty to charges including involuntary manslaughter.

Prosecutors say 25-year-old Ayanna Woodhouse was ordered held on $20,000 bail at her arraignment Monday.

Authorities say Woodhouse kicked and punched the other woman during an argument in April as other people in the salon screamed at her to stop. The fetus was delivered by emergency Cesarean section, but did not survive. The medical examiner determined that the fetus died because the placenta became detached from the uterus.

Woodhouse's lawyer said it's open to debate who started the fight.

Prosecutors say Woodhouse's cousin was the baby's father.