A Chicago court was the scene of a dramatic hearing as Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa, the accused killers of Marlén Ochoa, appeared in court more than four years after the brutal murder that shocked the country.
Desiree appeared on November 14, 2023, in a Chicago court for an update on the case, and her lawyers are seeking to omit evidence from the trial that could possibly incriminate the accused of murder. The hearing has been postponed until December 19, 2023.
On November 13, Clarisa also appeared in court, and her lawyers sought to remove testimonies from the trial. Only one interview they did with Clarisa, when she requested legal representation, will be omitted. This sets the stage for a contentious and high-profile legal battle in the coming months.
The relationship between Clarisa and Desiree is central to the case. The two women, who are mother and daughter, are accused of luring Marlén to their house in the Scottsdale neighborhood, where she was strangled. Investigators allege that they then removed Marlén’s baby from her womb and threw her body into a garbage container.
Yovanny Jadiel López, the newborn baby, was found in intensive care at Christ Medical Center after Marlén’s death. Yovanny’s father, Yovanni López, identified the baby and took DNA tests to establish his parentage after authorities notified him about the discovery of the baby following Marlén’s murder.
The legal case of Clarisa and Desiree Figueroa had its next court dates set. Clarisa will return to court on December 5, while Desiree’s next court appearance is set for December 19. The trial for the case will see jury selection on January 26, 2024.
Furthermore, Clarisa’s ex-boyfriend, Piotr Bobak, has pleaded guilty, unlike the accused women. The defense team for both Clarisa and Desiree sought to keep certain interviews and testimonies out of the trial, but the judge only approved the removal of a single interview conducted with Clarisa when she requested legal representation.
The brutal nature of this case which involved the murder of Marlén Ochoa and the theft of her baby has captured the nation’s attention, and these recent court developments signal that a lengthy and complex legal battle lies ahead.