It Was a Slow Death for Woman Killed for Her Unborn

Clarisa Figueroa faces a slew of charges in the death of a pregnant woman allegedly killed for her unborn baby. Now, a new one. Both Figueroa, 46, and her daughter, 24, appeared at court in Chicago on Thursday to face first-degree murder charges in the death of that infant, who spent two months on life support before dying June 14 from a lack of oxygen to the brain. The pair had previously been charged with aggravated battery in connection with the newborn boy, and the Chicago Tribune expects those charges will ultimately be dropped.

In its report on the new charges, the Tribune notes that prosecutors allege Figueroa sat on top of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez while strangling her with a cable, and that death did not come for as long as five minutes. Ochoa-Lopez had reportedly been lured to the home on April 23 by an offer of free baby clothes. The next hearing in the case is set for July 25, per CBS Chicago, which has this uncomfortable detail: It reports Christ Advocate Hospital, where newborn Yovanny Lopez was treated, has been sending bills for the child's care to Ochoa-Lopez's family, and that the bills give the child's name as "Figueroa Boy." The family's lawyer calls the situation "atrocious" and says the bills are "for hundreds of thousands of dollars." The hospital says "a bill ... was inadvertently sent and we regret this error," though it did not elaborate. (More murder stories.)