Current:Home > MarketsWoman who cut unborn baby from victim's womb with butcher knife, sentenced to 50 years-LoTradeCoin
Woman who cut unborn baby from victim's womb with butcher knife, sentenced to 50 years
View Date:2024-12-23 20:49:33
A Chicago woman who admitted to killing a pregnant teen she lured to a home and then cut her unborn child from her womb has been sentenced to 50 years in prison, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Under a deal reached in Cook County Circuit Court Clarisa Figueroa, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the spring 2019 slaying of 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez. The baby later died.
Associate Judge Peggy Chiampas handed down the sentence on Tuesday, a Cook County State's Attorney's Office spokesperson told USA TODAY.
Ochoa-Lopez was killed on April 23, 2019, after being lured into the home where Clarisa Figueroa lived with her then 24-year-old daughter by Facebook posts offering free baby clothes, USA TODAY previously reported. While her daughter distracted Ochoa-Lopez with a photo album, Figueroa wrapped a cable around the teen's neck and strangled her.
She then cut open Ochoa-Lopez with a butcher’s knife and removed the placenta and the baby. After disposing of the body, Figueroa called 911 and told officials she had just delivered her own baby and it was not breathing.
When she arrived at a hospital covered in blood, later determined to belong to Ochoa-Lopez, doctors who examined her found “no signs consistent with a woman who had just delivered a baby.”
5-year-old rape, torture, slaying case:Man sentenced to death for brutal killing, trafficking of Georgia girl
Baby died a month after the attack
The victim was reported missing the next day, but police did not connect her disappearance to the 911 call about the baby until May 7, 2019 when friends of the teen directed detectives to her social media account that showed she had communicated with Clarisa Figueroa.
The baby, Yovany Yadiel Lopez, died after being on life support for more than a month after the attack. The infant's family had been weighing whether to remove him from life support, but the child died of a severe brain injury.
On May 16, 2019, records show police arrested Figueroa her along with her daughter Desiree Figueroa on charges of first-degree murder.
Desiree Figueroa sentenced to 30 years after agreeing to testify against mother
In January, her daughter pleaded guilty to a murder charge and under a deal with lawyers in the case, agreed to testify against her mother.
Prosecutors told USA TODAY Desiree Figueroa has not been sentenced, but was slated to appear in court for a hearing on her case Wednesday.
Piotr Bobak, the elder Figueroa's boyfriend at the time of the killing, concealed the murder, police said. Prosecutors told USA TODAY he pleaded guilty to a felony obstruction of justice charge last year and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Contributing: Ryan Miller
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (41)
Related
- Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
- Michael Strahan's Daughter Isabella Strahan Details Memory Loss Amid Cancer Treatment
- Justice Department says illegal monopoly by Ticketmaster and Live Nation drives up prices for fans
- Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Misa Hylton Speaks Out After Release of Cassie Assault Video
- We Can Tell You How to Get to Sesame Street—and Even More Secrets About the Beloved Show
- Senate set to confirm 200th federal judge under Biden as Democrats surpass Trump’s pace
- Federal Reserve minutes: Policymakers saw a longer path to rate cuts
- 2 Georgia state House incumbents lose to challengers in primaries
- Too Hot to Handle’s Francesca Farago Gives Birth, Welcomes Twins With Jesse Sullivan
- Family of New Jersey woman last seen in 2010 prepares for funeral after remains found in river
Ranking
- 25 monkeys caught but more still missing after escape from research facility in SC
- Senate confirms 200th Biden judge as Democrats tout major milestone
- UPS worker tracked fellow driver on delivery route before fatal shooting, police say
- 3 young men drown in Florida's Caloosahatchee River while trying to save someone else
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 9 drawing: Jackpot rises to $92 million
- Senate set to confirm 200th federal judge under Biden as Democrats surpass Trump’s pace
- Lawsuits claim 66 people were abused as children in Pennsylvania’s juvenile facilities
- Bodycam video shows encounter with woman living inside Michigan store's rooftop sign for a year
Recommendation
-
Suspect in deadly 2023 Atlanta shooting is deemed not competent to stand trial
-
'Scrubs' producer Eric Weinberg to stand trial on 28 counts of rape, sexual assault: Reports
-
Influencer Jasmine Yong’s 2-Year-Old Son Dies After Drowning in Hotel Pool While Parents Were Asleep
-
Coast Guard says Alaska charter boat likely capsized last year after flooding, killing 5
-
Georgia State University is planning a $107M remake of downtown Atlanta
-
Former Train Band Member Charlie Colin Dead at 58 After Slipping in Shower
-
'Seinfeld' star Michael Richards reflects on aftermath of racism scandal: 'It hasn't been easy'
-
Ex-top prosecutor for Baltimore to be sentenced for mortgage fraud and perjury convictions