Crime Stories

Case of Julie Corey Murder

July 23, 2009
Worcester, Massachusetts

Julie Corey murders her pregnant friend, Darlene Haynes (23), then cuts Haynes' premature daughter from her womb to claim the baby as her own
Corey had recently delivered a stillborn baby following a 30 week pregnancy. She was driven by this loss — as well as the need to have a child to keep her boyfriend and the father of her own deceased child from leaving her, and to remain in the welfare system — to murder Haynes to steal her baby. Corey beat Haynes on the head, strangled her with a lamp cord, sliced her abdomen open to extract Haynes' daughter, rolled Haynes in a comforter, and stuffed her body in her closet. Corey then attempted to pass the baby off as her own. Haynes' body was found four days after the murder.
Initially, Roberto Rodriguez, Haynes' ex-boyfriend and the father of her stolen daughter, was suspected in Haynes' murder. Shortly after Haynes' body was discovered, Corey was found living in a homeless shelter along with her then-boyfriend and the baby. Testing determined the baby belonged to Haynes. Corey was arrested and charged with Haynes' murder.
At trial, Corey's defense attorneys admitted Corey had the stolen child but claimed someone else had murdered Haynes. This strategy was unsuccessful and Corey was found guilty of pre-meditated murder as well as felony kidnapping. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

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