Houston woman who suffered miscarriage convicted in friend’s murder and kidnapping her baby, DA says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A Houston woman has been convicted for plotting to murder her friend and kidnap her newborn baby in 2017, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

On Tuesday, 35-year-old Erika Miranda-Alvarez pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

On December 19, 2017, family members discovered 33-year-old Carolina Flores-Miranda stabbed to death in her Aldine-area apartment, with her baby girl missing.

After a two-day search involving multiple law enforcement agencies, 6-week-old Shamali Flores was found with Miranda-Alvarez at her apartment complex on South Gessner, over 30 miles from the crime scene.

According to the Houston Police Department, Miranda-Alvarez had recently suffered a miscarriage and intended to raise Shamali as her own child.

The DA’s Office reported that Miranda-Alvarez had been a friend of the Flores-Miranda family for several years.

When questioned by Houston Police Department detectives, Miranda-Alvarez initially admitted only to kidnapping, claiming she found her friend’s body and took the baby.

Assistant District Attorney Casey Smith stated that Miranda-Alvarez had premeditated the crime, even telling a friend days before the murder that she had her baby.

“She knew what she was doing was wrong, as evidenced by her actions and statements, including dumping the victim’s cellphone in the toilet tank,” Smith said.

The DA’s Office noted that Miranda-Alvarez must serve at least half of her prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole and cannot appeal the conviction or the sentence.