Woman Gets 30 Years For Newborn Abduction

A woman who slashed a young mother's throat and kidnapped her newborn in Missouri, setting off a frantic search that drew national attention, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.

The woman Shannon Torrez attacked two years ago testified at her sentencing hearing. Stephenie Ochsenbine said she remembered being covered in blood and pleading with Torrez while her 1-year-old son, who also was covered in his mother's blood, watched the attack.

"You gave me no regard and no caring to my pleading," she said to Torrez. Ochsenbine said she becomes panicked whenever she sees her attacker in court and whenever her children are out of her sight.

Torrez, 38, of Lonedell, entered what is called an Alford plea in May to one count each of child kidnapping, armed criminal action and first-degree assault. She did not admit guilt with her plea but conceded there was enough evidence for a guilty verdict.

Prosecutor Robert Parks said Torrez will serve at least 25 1/2 years in prison.

Abby Woods was 7 days old when she was abducted Sept. 15, 2006, about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis in Franklin County. The search ended happily five days later when Abby was found unharmed.

Torrez and Ochsenbine lived just a few miles apart but didn't know each other. At her plea hearing in May, Parks said that Torrez got into Ochsenbine's home by claiming her car broke down, and that she pointed a gun at the woman and said she was taking her baby.

When Ochsenbine fought back, Torrez stabbed her in the back, cut her throat, choked her and then tied Ochsenbine and her son up in the bathroom.

Authorities said Torrez passed the child off as her own, until a relative discovered a birthmark on the infant that had been covered with makeup and notified police.

WHat or who are you quoting? And what the heck does it have to do with the garbage that is wasting my tax dollars? Are you one as well?

[milesbrown49]

hbevis: I guess the relationship of this infor to the story at hand is that you was cut from your mothers womb causing you this dramatic brain defect??? What the h ell are you talking about and why now and on this forum???

[simplemind2]

What an evil woman that Ms. Shannon Torrez turns out to be.
30 years in prison for her is too lenient for the type of criminal acts that she''s committed.

[republic1776]

szmdm,
I am not a neo-con.
I am a libertarian.

[barbaram99]

I have to ask what kind of upbringing did that woman had growing up, was she taught right from wrong..Or just ran wild and did as she wanted. Was that woman''s Mum too busy to care. Was she raised the the same as this woman. Now she is locked uped/ the only lesson she will learn is to be a very bad crimmal. Her life is gravy as she won''t learn from this.

[czmdm]

republic 1776 this is the fault of liberals. People like you are almost as sick as the perp. Why...WHY in the world do people like you have to bring politics into everything? You neo-con''s are so pathetic. Nothing is sacred it''s all about who is politcally right. You are a sick pathetic human being.

[czmdm]

This should have had the death penalty. This is totally horrendous. If it had been a man it would have been life without at minimum.

[presjfk]

25 years just doesn''t seem like enough.

[beehive21-2009]

When you see how many young kids are missing everyday ,its good one kidnapper has been caught.She probably knows more and may have been working with a gang of kidnappers,give her the washboard Treatment, make her talk and sing,the Witch must have accomplishes ?

[hbevis]

Maybe the moms in prison will give here what she deserves. I''''m sorry that taxpayer money will support this human garbage - she''''s not worth it.

Posted by mswolfestock at 10:06 AM : Sep 13, 2008

With a little effort she can be put in the right prison and you can be 99% sure she would pay....