Woman Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Killing Pregnant Teen and Cutting Baby from Womb
Clarisa Figueroa, 51, killed 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez and cut her baby from her womb in 2019
Chicago Police Department via AP
Clarisa Figueroa.A Chicago woman has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing a pregnant teenager and cutting her baby from her womb.
On April 16, Clarisa Figueroa, 51, appeared in a Cook County courtroom for sentencing after she strangled pregnant Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, 19, to death with a cable on April 23, 2019, the Associated Press reported.
Clarisa did not provide a statement but answered "Yes" when Judge Peggy Chiampas asked if she understood she'd serve her entire sentence and would not receive early release on parole, outlets including the AP, the Washington Post, and WLS-TV reported.
Related: Baby Boy Ripped From Slain Chicago Mom's Womb Has No Brain Function, Family Says
Clarisa and her daughter Desiree, 29, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in January, were both charged with the murder of newborn baby Yovanny Lopez in July 2013, PEOPLE confirmed at the time.
Authorities previously alleged that Desiree and Clarisa lured Ochoa-Lopez to her death via a Facebook post that said they were giving away baby clothes and a stroller. The pair then strangled Ochoa-Lopez when she arrived at their home and removed her baby from her womb.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Yovanny Lopez died in his father’s arms on June 2019, according to a statement from family spokesperson Julie Contreras. He was just 51 days old when he died and spent his short life on support machines with severe brain damage.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later stated that Yovanny died through a lack of oxygen and blood to his brain and a prolapsed umbilical cord and placenta caused by the assault and death of his mother, the Chicago Tribune reported.
AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File
A 2019 memorial for victim Marlen Ochoa-Lopez.Marlen Ochoa-Lopez's husband and the father of her child, Yovanny Lopez, provided a statement read in Spanish and English in the courtroom on April 16. He said the couple's older child, Joshua, had "lost his mother forever," per AP.
“The memory of my infant son’s last breath in my arms is complete agony," he said. "God’s justice will be served upon you the day you die.”
The Cook County court, Cook County sheriff's office, and the Chicago Police Department didn't immediately respond after being contacted by PEOPLE.
Related: Woman in Jail for Allegedly Cutting Baby from Pregnant Teen's Womb Gives Birth to Child of Her Own
Desiree Figueroa pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in a Cook County courtroom in January and was sentenced to 30 years in prison after agreeing to testify against her mother.
Authorities previously alleged that after recently losing her adult son to natural causes, Clarisa was eager to raise another child, despite having had her fallopian tubes tied, PEOPLE previously reported.
Former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters in April 2019 that the suspects wanted to “raise the child as their own” after Clarisa allegedly faked a pregnancy, then called 911 on April 23, 2019 to claim she’d just delivered a boy who was struggling to breathe.
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At the time, investigators claimed that Clarisa showed no signs of having delivered a child. They eventually found Ochoa-Lopez’s body in a garbage can in the Figueroas’ yard, PEOPLE previously reported.
A third suspect, Desiree’s boyfriend Piotr Bobak, 44, was also charged for his involvement. He was sentenced to four years in prison but was released last year after being given credit for the 3 years and nearly 8 months he'd already spent in custody, CBS News reported in January 2023. He pled guilty to one count of obstruction of justice, per the outlet.
About six months after the murder, Desiree gave birth to her own baby while behind bars, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office previously confirmed to WGN 9.
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