Current:Home > reviewsWoman who cut unborn baby from victim's womb with butcher knife, sentenced to 50 years -AssetLink
Woman who cut unborn baby from victim's womb with butcher knife, sentenced to 50 years
View
Date:2025-04-13 06:01:45
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 nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (75394)
Related
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Judge’s order shields Catholic Charities from deposition as Texas investigates border aid groups
- Mistrial declared in case of Indiana man accused of fatally shooting five, including pregnant woman
- Schools across Maine confront unique challenges in ridding their water of ‘forever chemicals’
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Suburban Alabama school district appears headed toward state oversight
- Halle Berry Goes Topless in Risqué Photo With Kittens for Catwoman's 20th Anniversary
- EtherGalaxy Trading Center: How does a cryptocurrency exchange work?
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Judge orders release of Missouri man whose murder conviction was reversed over AG’s objections
Ranking
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Is the Great Resignation 2.0 coming? Nearly 3 in 10 workers plan to quit this year: Survey
- Hugh Jackman claws his way back to superhero glory in 'Deadpool & Wolverine': Review
- 2024 Olympics: See Céline Dion Arrive in Paris Ahead of Her Opening Ceremony Performance
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Comic Con 2024: What to expect as the convention returns to San Diego
- CoinBearer Trading Center: What is decentralization?
- Man gets life without parole in 1988 killing and sexual assault of woman in Boston
Recommendation
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Airline Food
Two new bobbleheads feature bloody Trump with fist in air, another with bandage over ear
The best 3-row SUVs in 2024 for big families
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
NovaBit Trading Center: What is Bitcoin?
Home of the 76ers, Flyers needs a new naming rights deal after Wells Fargo pulls out
Phone lines down in multiple courts across California after ransomware attack