Woman pleads guilty in newborn hospital kidnapping
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A woman who dressed as a nurse and abducted a 3-day-old boy from a Pittsburgh hospital in a handbag pleaded guilty Monday to kidnapping and related charges.
Breona Moore, 21, of East McKeesport, also pleaded guilty to trespassing and concealing the whereabouts of a child moments before she was to stand trial.
Defense attorney Blaine Jones said there was no plea bargain and that Moore is "remorseful" and "taking ownership" of her crimes. Moore is ashamed of what she had done and wanted to move forward with her life, Jones told reporters outside court.
Allegheny County prosecutors charged that Moore told friends she had given birth before buying hospital scrubs and pretending to be a nurse at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC in August 2012.
Moore was 5-foot-4 and 230 pounds and tried to convince her family she was pregnant, but her relatives doubted her and called police when they heard about the kidnapping.
Police scoured the city for Moore before finding her hiding in the closet of a downtown office building, holding the baby. The child was not harmed.
Moore was able to take the baby by entering the mother's room and telling her the baby needed to be taken for a medical test, authorities said.
Moore faces up to 58 years in prison when she's sentenced June 24. She's expected to receive substantially less time because of her lack of criminal history and mental issues which delayed the trial.
