Chance meeting leads to murder, suicide

RAVENNA, Ohio - They met by chance in the baby aisle of a Wal-Mart. One woman was shopping for baby clothes. The other was looking for a baby.

They talked casually about their pregnancies and learned they lived just blocks from each other. Theresa Andrews told Michelle Bica that she was due to give birth to a boy in about a month.

The conversation seemed innocent enough, but it turned out to be a death sentence for Andrews.

Bica, 39, had lied to neighbors, family and even her own husband for months, telling them she was pregnant. With her fake due date approaching fast, the heavyset woman became desperate to produce a baby.

On Sept. 27, police say Bica lured Andrews, 23, to her house by pretending she wanted to buy the Jeep that Andrews and her husband, Jon, were selling.

Just inside the back door of the laundry room, Bica killed Theresa Andrews with a single shot to the back, then immediately performed a crude Caesarean section to pull out the baby.

Bica passed the baby off as her own until five days later when she committed suicide in a locked bedroom as police arrived to further question her about cellular phone calls made to the Andrews' house. The baby was sleeping in the adjacent nursery.

The tragedy has stunned this quiet community of 12,000 located about 30 miles southeast of Cleveland.