Philadelphia Region Local News

by Stephanie Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― A woman convicted of kidnapping an infant during a fire, then raising the girl as her own for years, was sentenced Friday to nine to 30 years in prison.

In court, Carolyn Correa of Willingboro, N.J., publicly accused birth father Pedro Vera of helping her commit the crime, a charge he denied after the hearing.

The 10-day-old girl disappeared from her crib during a December 1997 fire at her parents' Philadelphia home. Lacking a body, fire investigators concluded that the fire had consumed the newborn.

"Pedro gave me the baby," Correa, 43, told the judge. "I loved her as my own. ... I truly believed she was mine."

Defense lawyers argued that Correa suffered from a psychotic condition in which women believe they are pregnant, and came to believe the baby was hers.

Jeff Zucker, the defense attorney for Correa, said, "The D.A. asked for the maximum sentence, and while this was a harsh sentence, we're certainly somewhat disappointed that there wasn't some psychiatric care, but things could have been a lot worse and we're going to consider all our options."

Prosecutors said she willfully deprived Vera and Luzaida Cuevas of their child's milestones—from crawling to talking to starting school—for six years.

Vera's lawyer, Edward Zawrotny, stated, "The allegations were made by a person who, as the court recognized today, several convictions for deceit and dishonesty up until today, so they're thrill this is over.

Common Pleas Judge Pamela Dembe, however, said she had concluded that while Correa suffered from some depression, she was more manipulative than delusional. She said the case drew wide attention -- including People magazine and a planned cable TV movie—because the tale is old as time.

"In every culture, in every age, there is the story of the infant being snatched from the cradle. Snatched by a wolf. Snatched by monsters. Snatched by witches. Snatched by the gods.

"It's important to distinguish who has snatched that child in the night," Dembe said.

Yet the judge acknowledged that who—if anyone—helped Correa remains unknown. Investigators believe there was a second person because the child disappeared from an upstairs crib while Correa was apparently downstairs with Cuevas. Vera was not home at the time.

"There's always been evidence of another individual being involved. That's why she's charged with conspiracy," Assistant District Attorney Leslie Gomez said. However, there's not enough evidence to make a case against anyone else, she said.

Correa pleaded no contest to kidnapping, interference of child custody and conspiracy in February.

The girl, Delimar Vera, now 7, was reunited with her parents in March 2004, after Cuevas' suspicions led to DNA testing that proved the child's identity. Cuevas had spotted the girl at a Vera family birthday party—Vera and Correa are related by marriage—and snatched a lock of her hair.

Both Vera and Cuevas, who split up after having a second child together, have sued city officials for their handling of the baby's disappearance.

"We're happy now. We got our daughter back," Vera said. He called Correa's charges against him "crazy things that she's talking about."

Delimar's life has changed in profound ways since the switch, Gomez noted.

For six years, she went by the name Aaliyah Hernandez. She spoke English at her Willingboro home. She was years younger than Correa's three children. She worked as a child model.

In Philadelphia, she lives with Cuevas and two school-age brothers. She is learning to speak Spanish, while Cuevas is learning English. She visits Vera once or twice a week, he said.

She doesn't get to see many of the people who once loved her, although Cuevas is increasingly allowing some contact with Correa's family, for her daughter's sake, according to Gomez. Dembe ordered Correa to keep away from Delimar when she leaves prison, unless the girl seeks her out someday.

Correa briefly apologized in court Friday for "the confusion" she caused the two families. The judge found the sentiment far short of any acceptance of the magnitude of her crime.

"You robbed a small girl of a very great deal," Dembe said.

(© 2005 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)