Report: Torrez expected to enter Alford plea

UNION, Mo. (AP) -- The woman accused of slashing a young mother's throat and stealing her baby may be nearing a plea agreement.

Franklin County Prosecutor Bob Parks told the Washington Missourian that under a tentative agreement, Shannon Torrez, 38, of Lonedell, Mo., will enter an Alford plea at a hearing on May 9 to charges of kidnapping, first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Under the Alford plea, the suspect does not admit guilt but concedes there is sufficient evidence for a guilty verdict.

Torrez's attorney, John Rogers, said Wednesday that there have been plea discussions with prosecutors. He declined further comment. Messages left with Parks by The Associated Press were not returned.

The kidnapping happened on Sept. 15, 2006. Authorities said Torrez stopped by the home of then-21-year-old Stephenie Ochsenbine, who allowed the stranger in. The two lived just a few miles apart but were not acquaintances.

Torrez allegedly held Ochsenbine at gunpoint and stabbed her in the throat, then left with Ochsenbine's week-old baby, Abby Woods.

National attention focused on the frantic search. Posters with Abby's picture and a sketch of the attacker were posted at restaurants and convenience stores throughout the county. Police searched nearby ponds and woods.

Meanwhile, Torrez allegedly passed the child off as her own until her sister-in-law, Dorothy Torrez, became suspicious. Police said Dorothy Torrez noticed the baby had makeup on her forehead. She rubbed off the makeup to find a birthmark similar to one shown in missing-child photos.

Dorothy Torrez alerted police, and Shannon Torrez was arrested without incident. The child was returned unharmed. Ochsenbine recovered from her wounds. Torrez has been jailed more than 19 months.

The case was one of two high-profile kidnappings that drew national attention to Franklin County in recent years. In the other, 13-year-old Ben Ownby was kidnapped shortly after getting off a school bus in January 2007.

Four days later, Ben and Shawn Hornbeck were found alive at the St. Louis County apartment of former pizzeria manager Michael Devlin. Shawn, then 15, had been missing for more than four years.

Devlin was convicted of dozens of state and federal crimes last year and is serving a life sentence.