Woman charged in fetal abduction case involved in assault of corrections officer

Annette Rodriguez-Morales, the 33-year-old woman in custody on first degree intentional homicide charges for allegedly killing a pregnant woman and cutting out her unborn baby was apparently involved in a scuffle with a corrections officer at the County Correctional Facility Monday night.

Milwaukee County Sheriff's office officials say Rodriguez-Morales approached the corrections officer and threw her radio out of reach, into a cell, and proceeded to assault the female officer, grabbing the officer's handcuffs. The officer fought off the attack and struck Rodriguez-Morales several times, eventually shoving her into a cell. Officers say Rodriguez-Morales returned the radio to the officer and said "I just want to go home."

Sheriff's Department officials say the corrections officer sustained minor injuries, including scrapes, scratches and a sore hand and wrist.

Morales-Rodriguez is charged with two counts of intentional homicide in the death of Maritza Ramirez-Cruz, and Morales-Rodriguez' lawyer recently entered an insanity plea on her behalf. She is being held on $1 million bail. A conviction on either of the two homicide counts carries a mandatory life sentence.

Investigators say Morales-Rodriguez was anxious to give her boyfriend a son, but was unable to conceive. They say she lied to her boyfriend, telling him she was pregnant, and as her due date approached, she became desperate and began plotting to "find a pregnant woman and take the baby and make it hers." She found Ramirez-Cruz in early October, gave her a ride home, and allegedly bludgeoned her, choked her until she passed out, and sliced the baby from her womb using a small blade, according to the criminal complaint in the case.