COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT — As the three suspects in the murder of 19-year old Marlen Ochoa Uriostegui Lopez returned to court Monday, the family called for them to face the maximum punishment — life in prison.
Before Monday’s hearing, the family of the slain 19-year-old, who was strangled before her child was cut from her womb, urged the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to throw the weight of the law against Clarisa Figueroa, her daughter Desiree Figueroa and Pitor Bobak. The Figueroas are charged with murder. Bobak, Clarisa Figueroa’s boyfriend, is charged with concealing the homicide.
Arnulfo Ochoa, the father of the slain teen, said he wanted to ensure the Figueroas and Bobak “remain locked up so they don’t harm any more people.”
Julie Contreras, a spokeswoman for the family, said they wanted to see life in prison for the “heinous” murder that claimed the life of a young mother and permanently impacted baby Jovanny, who remains in critical condition with severe brain damage.
“They shouldn’t see the light of day,” Contreras told reporters outside the courtroom.
Following a court briefing where the three co-defendants appeared before a judge, Bobak’s attorney Hal Garfinkel said his client had no knowledge of the homicide and was innocent.
Garfinkel said there was no evidence of communication by “email, text messages or any social media indicating” Bobak had any knowledge of the murder.
“While he may have been at the premises at some point, certainly not at the time of the homicide and certainly he was not involved in any way with disposing of a body or in any of sanitizing the crime scene.”
According to prosecutors, Bobak was found cleaning a carpet with bleach and a hose when police arrived with a warrant to search Clarisa Figueroa’s home. That’s where investigators found the slain teen, left in a garbage can in the back yard.
Garfinkel declined to comment on the relationship between Figueroa and his client, or social media posts where Bobak was allegedly soliciting donations for the newborn baby.
Marlen Ochoa Lopez was laid to rest last month in suburban Stickney.
Jovanny Lopez, the husband of Ochoa Lopez and father of the newborn, said his son remained in critical condition with few improvements. A second medical opinion would be sought on Thursday.
The three defendants have yet to be indicted but are expected to return to court June 12.
Previous coverage:
Family Of Slain Teen Wants ‘Marlen’s Law’ To Require DNA Testing Of Newborns Brought To Hospitals
Mural Pays Tribute To Slain Teenager Marlen Ochoa Lopez In Pilsen
Three Charged In Murder Of Little Village Teen Who Had Her Unborn Baby Stolen From Her Womb
Pregnant Little Village Teen Found Murdered, Her Unborn Baby Stolen From Her Womb
Persons Of Interest Questioned In Disappearance Of Pregnant Teen Marlen Ochoa-Uriostegui