Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Marlen Ochoa-Lopez: Mother and daughter 'distracted pregnant murder victim with photo album' before strangling her

Prosecutors in Chicago made the details public as they attempted to convince a judge not to let the accused women go free pending trial

Clark Mindock
New York
Monday 20 May 2019 12:05 EDT
Comments
(AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The pregnant 19-year-old who was murdered in Chicago was allegedly distracted by a mother and daughter with a photo album before being killed, according to court documents.

The details surrounding the murder were made public by prosecutors as they sought to convince a judge not to release suspects Clarisa Figueroa, 46, and Desiree Figueroa, 24, who have been accused of executing a plot to kill Marlen Ochoa-Lopez in her ninth month of pregnancy.

They reportedly lured the victim into their home by offering free baby clothes and a stroller, which they posted about online. Recently released details indicate the pair first tried to kill her by strangling her with a cord from behind.

Prosecutors say that Ochoa-Lopez was able to get her fingers between the cord and her neck when the elder Figueroa first attempted to kill her. The alleged murderer then called for her daughter’s help, before then continuing to strangle Ochoa-Lopez for four to five minutes.

The elder Figueroa then called emergency services, and said that the child she had just delivered was not breathing. The child is now reportedly in poor health, ad with “zero brain activity”.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Police did not connect the murders until May, when they were made aware of Facebook communications between Ochoa-Lopez and the women.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in