A 51-year-old Chicago woman, Clarisa Figueroa, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for her role in a gruesome crime nearly five years ago. Figueroa pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the 2019 killing of 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez, who was nine months pregnant at the time.
Prosecutors revealed that Figueroa lured Ochoa-Lopez to her home on April 23, 2019, by offering free clothing for her unborn child. Once there, Figueroa strangled the young woman with a cable and then called 911, falsely claiming she had given birth and that the child was in distress. Tragically, the child died approximately two months later.
Yovanny Lopez, Ochoa-Lopez’s husband and father of their children, expressed the profound impact of the tragedy on his family. He described the agony of holding his infant son during his final moments and emphasized that justice would be served upon Figueroa.
Authorities revealed that Figueroa had falsely claimed to be pregnant shortly after her adult son’s death and had schemed for months to obtain a newborn. She even went as far as posting ultrasound images and decorating a nursery on her Facebook profile. It was through a Facebook group for expectant mothers that she connected with Ochoa-Lopez.
Detectives investigating Ochoa-Lopez’s disappearance found her car parked near Figueroa’s home two weeks after she went missing. Subsequent DNA tests confirmed that the child Figueroa claimed as her own was not biologically related to her.
Ochoa-Lopez’s body was discovered in a garbage can outside Figueroa’s residence. Figueroa’s boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in cleaning up the crime scene. Desiree Figueroa, Clarisa’s daughter, pleaded guilty to murder for her involvement in the crime and received a 30-year prison sentence. She also agreed to testify against her mother as part of her plea agreement.
