Woman sentenced to life for killing pregnant roommate and kidnapping her fetus

BOSTON (Reuters) - A Massachusetts woman convicted of killing her pregnant roommate and kidnapping her victim's fetus was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday.

Julie Corey, 39, had been accused of beating and strangling Darlene Haynes to death in Worcester in 2009 before cutting the fetus out of her body and passing the baby off as her own.

Haynes was 23 years old and eight months pregnant when she was killed. The child, a girl, survived and is now living with her biological father.

Corey was found with her boyfriend and the baby in New Hampshire days after the murder, after having convinced her boyfriend the child was hers, prosecutors had said.

Corey was convicted in Worcester Superior Court last week after a three-week trial. A court clerk said on Tuesday that Corey was sentenced to a mandatory term of life without parole.

Corey had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Her lawyers said prosecutors had failed to follow up on leads that could have implicated others in the crime.

(Reporting by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

[A judge and a gavel. Photo: Shutterstock.com, all rights reserved.]