A Beaverton-area woman who killed a pregnant friend and cut out the woman's unborn child was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty in 2010. The killing of 21-year-old Heather Snively and the infant she carried shocked Portland suburbs and later helped spur Oregon lawmakers to pursue changes to state law aimed at protecting pregnant people.
How investigators say it unfolded
Authorities say Korena Elaine Roberts lured Snively to her Beaverton-area home after answering an online ad for baby clothes, then attacked her and carried out a crude extraction of the fetus, according to ABC News. Roberts then called 911 and reported that her newborn was not breathing. Paramedics took both women to the hospital, where staff determined that Roberts had not given birth and that the infant could not be revived, as reported by CBS News.
Autopsy and evidence
An autopsy found that Snively died from a combination of blunt and sharp-force injuries, and investigators say her body was later discovered wrapped in carpet and hidden in a crawl space beneath Roberts' house, according to the Associated Press. Neighbors told reporters that Roberts had been pretending to be pregnant for months, assembling baby gear and posting listings, a ruse authorities say she used to reach out to expectant women. The Associated Press account captured those early scene details.
Prosecution and sentence
A Washington County grand jury indicted Roberts on aggravated murder counts tied to the alleged abduction attempt and related crimes, and prosecutors signaled they were prepared to seek severe penalties. In October 2010, Roberts pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The plea deal eliminated the need for a jury trial and removed the possibility of a death sentence, according to CBS News.
Law and wider pattern
Prosecutors said they could not bring a separate homicide charge for the infant unless an autopsy showed the baby had taken at least one breath outside the womb, a legal threshold that helped fuel a push for new legislation in Salem. The text and summary of House Bill 3505 on the Oregon Legislature site cite the Snively case as a rationale for tougher penalties.
Roberts' case is also cited in national coverage of rare "fetal abduction" crimes, attacks in which perpetrators often fake pregnancies and use online classifieds to lure victims. That pattern has been explored by The Guardian and illustrated by the 2015 Colorado case covered by Colorado Public Radio.
Where the case stands now
Roberts is serving life without parole in the Oregon prison system. Her guilty plea closed the criminal case without a jury trial yet left lasting questions about how the law treats fetal deaths. In the days after the killing, Snively's family and local advocates pressed lawmakers for change, and the legislative record shows the case was explicitly cited in proposals to expand penalties for crimes against pregnant people.
