Mo. woman pleads, will be sentenced in stolen baby attack

UNION, Mo. — A woman who slashed a young mother and kidnapped her newborn entered into a plea deal Friday, and the prosecutor revealed additional details of the 2006 attack — including that the victim was stabbed repeatedly and her toddler son was tied up.

Shannon Torrez, 38, of Lonedell, Mo., entered an Alford plea to one count each of child kidnapping, armed criminal action and first-degree assault. Under the arrangement, she does not admit guilt but concedes there is sufficient evidence for a guilty verdict.

(enlarge photo) Shannon Torrez, center, is led by Franklin County police from the Franklin County Courthouse in Union, Mo., Friday, March 9, 2008. Torrez, accused in 2006 of slashing a young mother's throat, kidnapping her newborn and passing off the child as her own for five days reached a plea deal with prosecutors. Under the arrangement, she does not admit guilt but concedes there is sufficient evidence for a guilty verdict. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year prison sentence. Sentencing testimony is set to begin May 27.

Abby Woods was kidnapped Sept. 15, 2006. Authorities said the week-old-baby's mother, Stephenie Ochsenbine, then 21, allowed Torrez into the family home, where Abby lived along with her mother, her father, James Woods, and her brother, Connor.

The two women lived just a few miles apart in the rural area about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis but did not know each other.

Franklin County prosecutor Robert Parks said Friday that Torrez knocked at Ochsenbine's door, said her car broke down and asked to use the phone. Once inside, she asked to use the bathroom, then came out pointing a gun at Ochsenbine and said she was taking the baby.

When Ochsenbine got between Torrez and Abby, Torrez threw her down and stabbed her in the back, Parks said.

Connor, then 1 year old, began to cry, and Torrez told Ochsenbine to make the child be quiet or she would hurt him, Parks said. When Ochsenbine raised her hand to protect Connor, Torrez stabbed her left hand, nearly severing her thumb.

Torrez then forced Ochsenbine to hold Connor as she tied them to a chair, Parks said.

"As (Torrez) went to pick up Baby Abby, Stephenie begged her to stop," Parks said. Torrez "then came behind Stephenie and proceeded to cut Stephenie's throat twice with the knife" as the young mother begged for her life.

Moments later, Ochsenbine managed to free herself. Torrez struck her in the head, knocking her to the floor, Parks said. Torrez then choked Ochsenbine until she passed out. Ochsenbine awoke to find herself and Connor tied up in the bathroom, with Abby gone.

Ochsenbine was hospitalized as a nationwide search began for Abby, who had a strawberry-red birthmark on her forehead. Five days after the kidnapping, Torrez's sister-in-law spotted the mark — which had been covered with makeup — and alerted police. The baby was unharmed.

Officers found a gun wrapped in a shirt at Shannon Torrez's home. DNA tests showed that blood on the shirt and gun were from Ochsenbine, Parks said.

Torrez's attorney Scott Rosenblum said his client's mental state will be the focus of the sentencing hearing. He declined to elaborate but said Torrez had delivered a stillborn baby just before the kidnapping.

"This has never been about condoning Shannon's behavior, excusing it," he said. "This is about explaining it."

Parks said prosecutors agreed to the plea in part to spare the family from reliving the crime.

"Stephenie was ready to go through a trial, but she really didn't want to go through the whole thing again," Parks said.

Ochsenbine sat in the front row of the courtroom Friday and showed little emotion. Woods kept his arm around her throughout the hearing, and the family declined to comment later.

Parks described Abby as "a typical 2-year-old and doing really well."

___