Woman pleads guilty to killing her friend and kidnapping her baby 'to raise it as her own'

HOUSTON (TCD) -- A woman will spend four decades behind bars for killing her friend and kidnapping the victim’s child after suffering a miscarriage.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced May 24 that 35-year-old Erika Miranda-Alvarez pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing 33-year-old Carolina Flores-Miranda and abducting her infant on Dec. 19, 2017. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison and must serve at least half of the term before parole eligibility. Miranda-Alvarez will not be able to appeal her conviction or sentence.

Relatives reportedly found Flores-Miranda’s body in her home, and according to KRIV-TV, police observed stab wounds to her neck and head. Family members also noticed Flores-Miranda’s 6-week-old baby was missing, and multiple law enforcement agencies began a two-day search for the infant. Officials eventually found the newborn with Miranda-Alvarez at her apartment complex, which was approximately 30 miles from where the victim had been stabbed.

According to the district attorney’s office, Miranda-Alvarez had recently suffered a miscarriage, and she "killed her friend to take the victim’s 6-week-old baby to raise it as her own."

Miranda-Alvarez initially told Houston Police detectives she went to Flores-Miranda’s apartment, noticed she was already dead, and took her baby. However, prosecutors argued that Miranda-Alvarez "planned out the crime, including telling a friend days before the murder that she had her baby."

Assistant District Attorney Casey Smith, who prosecuted the case, said, "She knew what she was doing was wrong, and we know that from what she said to people and what she did, including dumping the victim’s cellphone in the toilet tank."

The victim’s family members were reportedly present in court for Miranda-Alvarez’s plea and sentencing.

Smith reportedly stated, "This family has waited a long time for justice to be done, and now hopefully this will finally give them some closure."

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg added, "This was a premeditated murder and kidnapping that should have never happened."