A petition for severance was filed by the attorneys of Clarisa Figueroa in the case of Marlen Ochoa-Lopez's death, whose baby was cut from her womb in April 2019.
Figueroa is charged alongside her daughter, Desiree Figueroa, in the killing in which Ochoa-Lopez, 19, was strangled to death before her baby was removed from the womb, which Clarisa Figueroa intended to claim as her own.
The baby, Yovanny Jadiel Lopez, died months later, in June 2019.
Clarisa's attorneys state that Desiree made statements implicating Clarisa, believing that she could no longer obtain an impartial trial due to an "inconsistent, conflicting and antagonistic defense."
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If approved, the petition for severance would allow Desiree and Clarisa Figueroa to be tried separately for Ochoa-Lopez's killing and the numerous other charges both face in connection to the murder.
Prosecutors said Clarisa Figueroa’s alleged murder plot began in late 2018 when she claimed to be pregnant. She posted pictures of ultrasounds online, even though she wasn’t actually expecting a baby.
The plot reached its horrific conclusion in April of 2019 when — with the help of her 24-year-old daughter — she lured Ochoa-Lopez to her Scottsdale neighborhood home, strangled her and cut her baby from the womb, according to prosecutors.
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Marlen Ochoa-Lopez had been responding to a Facebook ad for free baby clothes, prosecutors said.
Clarisa Figueroa and Desiree Figueroa have pleaded not guilty to a 27-count indictment that includes charges of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery of a child and dismembering a body.
