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 slaying of Heather Snively, 21, and the newborn she was carrying stunned Portland suburbs and prompted Oregon lawmakers to consider reforms to state law aimed at protecting pregnant people.
According to ABC News, Korena Elaine Roberts lured Snively to her Beaverton home after responding to an online ad for baby items, then attacked her and performed a clumsy fetal extraction. Roberts then contacted 911 to report that her infant was not breathing. Paramedics transported both women to the hospital, where staff found that Roberts had not given delivery and that the infant could not be saved, according to CBS News.
An autopsy determined that Snively died from a mix of blunt and sharp-force injuries, and her body was later recovered wrapped in carpet and buried in a crawl space beneath Roberts’ house, according to the Associated Press. Neighbors told reporters that Roberts had been claiming to be pregnant for months, collecting baby supplies and publishing advertisements, which prosecutors believe she used to contact expectant mothers. The Associated Press account captured those early scene facts.
A Washington County grand jury indicted Roberts on aggravated murder charges linked to the alleged kidnapping attempt and other offenses, and prosecutors indicated that they were prepared to pursue harsh punishment. In October 2010, Roberts pled guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison with no hope of release. According to CBS News, the plea arrangement eliminates the necessity for a jury trial and the prospect of the death penalty.
Prosecutors claimed they couldn’t file a criminal homicide prosecution against the infant unless an autopsy revealed the baby had taken at least one breath outside the womb, a legal requirement that fueled a drive for new legislation in Salem. The Snively case is cited in the text and summary of House Bill 3505 on the Oregon Legislature’s website as justification for harsher sanctions.
Roberts’ case has also been included in national coverage of uncommon “fetal abduction” cases, in which offenders frequently fabricate pregnancies and utilize internet advertising to attract victims. The Guardian investigated this pattern, and Colorado Public Radio reported on the 2015 Colorado instance.
Roberts is spending life without parole in Oregon’s prison system. Her guilty plea ended the criminal case without a jury trial, but it left open questions about how the law regards embryonic deaths. In the days following the murder, Snively’s family and local campaigners lobbied lawmakers for reform, and the legislative record shows that the case was specifically mentioned in measures to increase punishment for crimes against pregnant women.
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