PITTSBURGH, April 7 (UPI) -- A young woman admitted Monday that she smuggled a kidnapped 3-day-old baby out of a Pittsburgh hospital in a handbag.
Breona Moore, 21, of East McKeesport, Pa., answered in monosyllables as she entered a guilty plea to kidnapping, unlawful restraint and other charges. Common Pleas Judge Randal Todd is expected to sentence her in June and could impose a term as long as 58 years in prison.
Her lawyer, Blaine Jones, suggested that Moore, who was only 19 when she went to Magee-Womens Hospital in August 2012 dressed in hospital scrubs, is not a hardened criminal.
“After Breona had an opportunity to realize what she did, she was remorseful," Jones said. "Today she's taking ownership of it.”
Investigators said that Moore searched through several floors of the hospital for a suitable target. She left with the baby zipped into a large handbag.
Moore, who said on Facebook that she had born a son delivered by Caesarian section at the hospital, was arrested within hours.
