Photo: For Murdering Woman, Stealing Fetus, Annette Morales-Rodriguez Gets Life, No Parole
In September, Annette Morales-Rodriguez was convicted on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for kidnapping and murdering a pregnant woman and stealing her full term fetus in 2011.
After faking multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, Morales-Rodriguez had grown desperate, as she had claimed she was pregnant once again and the made-up due date was approaching.
In October 2011,the wannabe mother reportedly staked out a Hispanic community center known for helping expecting mothers and found 23-year-old Maritza Ramirez-Cruz who was in her 40th week of pregnancy.
In October 2011, Morales-Rodriguez offered Ramirez-Cruz a ride home, lured her to her Morales-Rodriguez’s home, and bludgeoned and choked the mother of 3 until she was unconscious. Using an x-acto knife, Morales-Rodriguez cut the fetus from its mother.
An autopsy determined Ramirez-Cruz died from a combination of blunt force trauma, asphyxiation, and blood loss. After disposing of the now lifeless mother’s belongings, Morales-Rodriguez returned to her body and crudely cut her from hip to hip. What the now double-murderer pulled from its mother’s body was a stillborn baby boy.
While Morales-Rodriguez’s attorney urged the jury to convict her client of a lesser charge, first-degree reckless homicide, Morales-Rodriguez was ultimately convicted of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
Though it was determined she would spend the rest of her life in prison, a judge still had to determine if Morales-Rodriguez would have the possibility of parole.
On Thursday, she was sentenced to life in prison with the judge offering no chance of parole.
Ramirez-Cruz leaves behind three children, ages 3, 5, and 7. They, along with their father, Christian Mercado, are currently receiving psychiatric help to cope with this unspeakable loss. Mercado’s father moved into the apartment below the family’s shortly after the 2011 incident so he and his fiancé could help his son care for the children.
