Marlen Ochoa-Lopez death: 3 charged in murder of pregnant Chicago woman denied bond
WARNING: GRAPHIC DETAILS
CHICAGO -- Three suspects charged with killing a pregnant woman and removing her baby from her womb will remain in jail after a judge ordered they be held without bond Friday.
Leaving the courtroom, tears streamed down the faces of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez' mother and father as their family heard in detail the last moments of their pregnant daughter's life.
RAW VIDEO: Missing pregnant teen's remains found near Chicago home
"Today, there was justice for Marlen. No bond for these criminals," said Ochoa-Lopez family spokesperson Julie Contreras. "She fought. And today we fought for her."
The three defendants - Clarisa Figueroa, 46; Desiree Figueroa, 24; and Peter Bobak, 40 - went before a judge Friday, listening with their heads bowed as their alleged crimes were listed. Prosecutors accused mother and daughter Figueroa of premeditated murder, luring the pregnant 19-year-old to their home through a Facebook chat group with the promise of free children's clothes.
"Words really cannot express how disgusting and thoroughly disturbing these allegations are," said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
WATCH: CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson announces charges in killing of 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez
Assistant State's Attorney James Murphy read the full Bond Court proffer Friday afternoon.
Murphy said Clarisa Figueroa previously had a son, Xander. In 2018, he died of natural causes at age 20.
In October 2018, Figueroa announced she was pregnant. Murphy said this came as a surprise to her family, since she had previously had her fallopian tubes tied.
In December 2018, Figueroa allegedly posted an ultrasound photo of her supposed baby on Facebook. Murphy said on Feb. 5, she posted on the Help a Mother Out Facebook page, which helps connect families in need with baby items, that she had named her baby Xander. She also posted a photo of his supposed crib and nursery.
On March 5, she allegedly posted on the group page, "Who is due in May? Where is the May mamas at?"
Ochoa-Lopez, who was seven months pregnant at the time, had a conversation with Figueroa, who allegedly offered the 19-year-old brand new baby clothes and suggested the victim contact her via her Facebook inbox.
Murphy said before April 1, Figueroa told her daughter, Desiree Figueroa, that she needed help killing a pregnant woman and taking her baby.
On April 1, Ochoa-Lopez went to the defendants' home in the 4100-block of West 77th Place. Desiree Figueroa's boyfriend was also there. Clarisa Figueroa allegedly told her daughter that they had to kill the victim. Murphy said Desiree Figueroa refused at first.
While all four people were in the basement, Desiree Figueroa's boyfriend said he saw Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa go into a separate room together several times, and that his girlfriend was shaking and acting strange. When she told him what her mother allegedly wanted to do, he said he would call the police if they went through with it.
Ochoa-Lopez left the home unharmed and Desiree Figueroa told her boyfriend it was all an April Fool's joke, Murphy said.
On April 23, the victim returned to the defendants' home in her black Honda Civic. Murphy said she was sitting on the couch in the living room when Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa turned up some music and went into the kitchen, where they allegedly discussed the plan to kill her and remove her baby from her womb.
When they returned to the living room, Desiree Figueroa allegedly showed Ochoa-Lopez an album containing photos of Clarisa Figueroa's son, Xander, while her mother allegedly strangled the victim from behind with a cable.
Murphy said Desiree Figueroa left the room before her mother allegedly took the victim's baby from her womb.
When Desiree Figueroa returned, her mother allegedly wrapped the victim's body in a blanket and put it in a plastic bag before dumping it in a garbage can hidden in the garage.
Murphy said Clarisa Figueroa then called 911 and said she had just delivered her baby at home on her own and the child wasn't breathing. She and the baby were transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center. The baby was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where the child remains in grave condition with zero brain function.
Clarisa Figueroa was examined in labor and delivery and showed no signs of having just given birth. But she did have blood on her arms, hands and across her face, from the alleged murder and removal of Ochoa-Lopez's baby. Murphy said this blood was wiped away by an obstetric technician that treated her at the hospital.
Desiree Figueroa allegedly took the victim's phone and car to her sister's home, where she retrieved two additional phones. A red-light camera captured her behind the wheel of the victim's black Honda Civic. The victim's phone pinged to that location at that time. Figueroa allegedly threw out Ochoa-Lopez's phone and parked the car half-a-block from Clarisa Figueroa's home.
On April 24, Ochoa-Lopez was reported missing by her husband. On the same day, Desiree Figueroa, her mother, and her mother's boyfriend, Peter Bobak, cleaned Clarisa Figueroa's home to allegedly hide the murder from police.
After police found out Clarisa Figueroa and Ochoa-Lopez had conversed on Facebook, they went to her home to look for her. Officers were told she was at the hospital because she had just given birth. Police found Ochoa-Lopez's car near the home.
DNA samples from Clarisa Figueroa, Peter Bobak and Ochoa-Lopez's husband showed he was the father of the baby and excluded Bobak and Clarisa Figueroa as parents of the baby, prosecutors said.
In the next few weeks, Clarisa Figueroa allegedly created a GoFundMe page for the baby, saying she was the child's mother. Murphy said Bobak posted the GoFundMe link on his Facbeook page and posted a photo of the baby in the NICU.
On May 14, investigators executed a search warrant at Clarisa Figueroa's home. When police arrived, Bobak was allegedly cleaning a rug outside the house with bleach and a hose. Murphy said when he saw the officers, he dropped both and walked away.
Police found Ochoa-Lopez's remains in the garbage can in the corner of the property, along with the cable used to kill her. Evidence showed the baby had been inside her womb. Evidence technicians found evidence of blood in the living room.
The Cook County medical examiner ruled Ochoa-Lopez had been strangled to death and the baby had been removed from her abdomen.
Murphy said Desiree Figueroa made a full confession, which was recorded on video.
WATCH: Husband speaks about Marlen Ochoa-Lopez's death
The family of 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Lopez at the Leighton Criminal Court House demanded justice, calling the three behind bars monsters.
"Today is a sad day," said family spokesperson Julie Contreras. "Today is a day of anguish that this family is living through a nightmare, a horror film. Today there is only one message that the family has, and that is justice for Marlen."
Marlen's husband, Yovani Lopez, said in a statement, "We are asking the Cook County States Attorney to please not allow these monsters to go free. They murdered my wife and my infant son is in intensive care after being ripped out from his mother's body."
Marlen's mother Raquel Uriostegui said in a statement, "We don't want the people who murdered my daughter to go free. We want justice for Marlen!"
Meanwhile, the family is holding out hope for a miracle for her baby, who is on life support. Ochoa-Lopez also leaves behind a 3-year-old child.
WATCH: Mourners attend vigil for Marlen Ochoa-Lopez
On Friday night, mourners gathered at a growing memorial outside the home in the 4100-block of W. 77th Place where Ochoa-Lopez's body was found. Her family was inconsolable.
"Our hearts are broken tonight. This city is impacted by this terrible, terrible situation," mourner Donna Marquez said.
