Heather was struck between 15 and 30 times (Image: Handout)
A depraved woman faked a pregnancy, then befriended and sliced open an expectant friend, snatching her unborn baby and killing both in a horrific bloodbath.
Korena Roberts, 27, was found guilty of murder after police uncovered the body of a missing 21-year-old hidden in her home.
A harrowing post-mortem examination showed that pregnant Heather Snively had been sliced open at the abdomen so her unborn baby could be removed, according to CNN.
Heather had also sustained between 15 and 30 brutal blows to the head with multiple weapons and had bite marks on her arm, according to Oregon Live. Roberts murdered Heather in the bathroom, wrapped her in carpet and concealed the body in a crawl space underneath the property.
She then rang her boyfriend, Yan Shubin, claiming she was in labour and required assistance. Roberts had fabricated a pregnancy for nearly a full term, reports the Irish Mirror.
Roberts was handed a life sentence (Image: Washington County Sheriff’s Office)
Yan arrived home to discover Roberts in the bathtub with the water flowing, sobbing hysterically and clutching a baby boy.
It initially emerged that something was amiss when Roberts contacted the Oregon emergency services claiming the infant was poorly in 2009, according to ABC.
Tragically, paramedics were unable to revive the child and notified police after realising Roberts was not the baby’s mother.
Doctors requested a psychological assessment, and a psychologist detected no psychosis or other mental disorders in Roberts. Investigators disclosed that Roberts, who has two children under 10, had spent months pretending to be pregnant herself.
She reportedly informed both friends and her live-in partner she was carrying twins. She had befriended Heather, who was newly arrived in the area, after the pair made contact via an internet site and had arranged to swap baby clothes.
Heather and her son both died (Image: KVAL)
Roberts’ boyfriend faced no charges and cooperated with officers during their inquiry into his girlfriend.
Residents in Roberts’ neighbourhood revealed to KPTV she had informed them she was expecting a baby. “She didn’t appear to be pregnant to us,” neighbour Doug King told the station.
Police believe Roberts may have made contact with multiple pregnant women across the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. Prosecutors examined evidence to establish whether Roberts could also face charges regarding the baby boy on June 5, 2009.
However, Oregon law demands proof a baby took at least one breath to survive outside the womb before any separate charge can be brought and Washington County District Attorney Bob Hermann stated an autopsy and interviews with emergency personnel found no evidence the infant had survived.
Hermann indicated the aggravated murder charges demonstrate Roberts attempted to abduct the baby of 21-year-old Heather and rob her, and sought to conceal the crimes.
In 2010, Roberts pleaded guilty to killing Heather, telling Judge Don Letourneau “I am taking responsibility because I am guilty.”
Heather’s bereaved fiancé, Chris Popp, told Roberts he wished to see her on death row. He said: “You’ve taken away my fiancee, my son — I don’t know what to say to you.”
Heather’s mother and stepfather described their daughter as a happy, generous woman who always had “a smile that would light up a room.
“There is no punishment severe enough for what you did,” the statement read. “We hope you’re haunted every day for the rest of your life by what you did.”
Roberts received a life sentence with no chance of parole.
