- Angelique Robledo was launched to a different pregnant teen — Kassandra Toruga — in 2011 whereas anticipating her son
- The 2 cast a friendship, which took a flip after Kassandra visited Angelique’s house to drop off a child bathe reward
- The short meetup become a horrifying state of affairs, with a bag of knives uncovered after Angelique’s house was set on fireplace
Angelique Robledo was a teen who was adjusting to her altering life when she made a pal she thought was going by the identical.
In 2011, Robledo was anticipating her first child forward of her senior yr of highschool. Whereas she loved a wholesome being pregnant, it was a lonely one as she adjusted her plans for the longer term, dropping out of college and watching her associates get pleasure from their senior years.
As she entered her final trimester, the small-town Arizona lady centered on making ready for her child and dealing at her part-time job. Then, a pal advised her about one other pregnant teen they’d met.
Kassandra Toruga “had met just a few of my associates and once they met her, they have been like, ‘Our pal Angelique is our age and she or he’s additionally pregnant.’ In order that they wished to get us collectively to know one another,” Robledo tells PEOPLE.
After they met in a bunch setting, “Every little thing appeared utterly regular.” The 2 women hit it off and saved in contact by Fb and textual content.
“We have been involved, however we by no means frolicked. She was simply at a distance. Nevertheless it appeared like after she met me, unexpectedly, she knew everyone that I knew,” Robledo says.
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Robledo’s husband ended up assembly Toruga, too, and inspired his associate to ask her to their child bathe. Whereas she could not make it, “She requested if she may come over and provides me the items she acquired me and spend time with me,” Robledo shares.
“I had simply turned 18, so I lived with my mother and pa. Wanting again, when she got here to my home, there have been sure issues that I simply felt uneasy about. It did really feel like she was attempting to imitate my life,” she says.
Robledo observed that whereas chatting with Toruga, the teenager would have tales that have been “precisely the identical” as her personal.
“I bear in mind taking a look at my mother as a result of, as a teen, I used to be just a little aggravated by it. Once we have been alone, I requested my mother, ‘Do you suppose she’s bizarre? What do you consider her?’ And he or she’s like, ‘I believe that she’s someone who’s damaged, someone who simply wants consideration. She appears to search out consolation in your friendship.’ ”
Robledo remembers feeling unhealthy for being onerous on Toruga, who stated she had moved to the world to reside along with her sister after the demise of each of her dad and mom. The teenagers continued by their day, speaking about their being pregnant experiences.
“It form of made me perceive why she wished associates so badly. I believed she simply wished someone to narrate with,” Robledo says.
Ultimately, Toruga left the room once more for a cellphone name. That is when Robledo’s mother began on the point of take the teenager’s brother to soccer follow.
“Kassandra had been asking to exit all day however once I stated we may go along with my mother, she shot that down and stated she wasn’t feeling good,” says Robledo. “My mother was positive with us staying again, so we stayed on the home by ourselves whereas everybody else was out.”
Issues have been going positive, with Toruga even sharing some items she’d gotten for Robledo.
“She stated, ‘I will go behind you and drop the presents into your lap, one after the other.’ I believed it was bizarre, however I went together with it. There was a new child onesie, a receiving blanket, little booties. a pacifier, however simply one in every of all the pieces. Nothing had tags. And I bear in mind they smelled like males’s cologne,” Robledo shares. “However I used to be taught to not be impolite. There’s nothing mistaken with hand-me-downs, so I stated thanks and that the items have been cute and I appreciated it.”
The story is substantiated by police accounts obtained by PEOPLE.
Toruga had two extra “particular” items for Robledo, she stated. The primary was a child wrap that was expensive for the expectant mother on the time, which Toruga insisted she acquired multiples of at her personal child bathe. The final reward, nonetheless, was one she wished to present Robledo at the hours of darkness.
“We went to my room and she or he advised me to show round and shut my eyes,” Robledo recollects. “She’s digging by this bag at the hours of darkness room with the door closed. I began to have a bizarre feeling. It is like someone was whispering in my ear telling me, ‘You are going to be stabbed.’ ”
“I felt tremendous uneasy and I began complaining that I used to be in ache. I sat on the mattress and she or he acquired behind me, however she was nonetheless digging by this bag. I could not cease occupied with getting damage and the way I might shield myself. I used to be going backwards and forwards about whether or not that was rational,” she recollects.
“She was prepared and counted down, along with her hand on my shoulder, and I popped up. She was utterly startled and instantly put one thing again in her bag. I requested what she was doing and simply then, her cellphone rang,” Robledo says. “Kassandra began talking to somebody in Spanish, which I do not converse, and I used to be so confused.”
When Toruga got here again, Robledo adopted her lead and pretended like nothing was mistaken.
“I used to be in survival mode. I used to be too scared to say or do something. She stated it was her husband Edwin on the cellphone and that he was going to return get her quickly. Then she wished to attempt on garments. She stated he was going to take her to satisfy his household in Maricopa and saved saying how she did not have something to put on. I lastly stated, ‘If you’d like one thing to put on, you may see if something in my closet suits,’ ” Robledo says.
“I had a tealight candle lit in my room, not for any explicit purpose,” Robledo says. “She goes within the room to attempt issues on and I am feeling just a little higher figuring out she’s getting picked up quickly. And all the pieces feels regular sufficient that now I am questioning myself once more.”
Toruga emerged from the room in an outfit, whereas Robledo went in after realizing she smelled smoke.
“The candle was out. I used to be wanting throughout my room — below my mattress, within the closet, within the drawers. I could not let it go and she or he was like, ‘That is bizarre,’ ” Robledo says. “I relight the candle. I really seize one other candle and convey it into the room. I lit it, and she or he began pushing me out of the room, eager to attempt one thing else on. So I simply acquired in and out my head, I felt like she was beginning a home fireplace. I used to be satisfied she was doing one thing in my room.”
Robledo tried speaking to Toruga by the door, however Toruga did not say a lot in response, she recollects. Robledo saved an eye fixed on the opening on the backside of the door, watching her tempo about her room.
“When she lastly opens the door, I barge my method in and the candle is out once more. It smelled like smoke. I appeared in all places once more, and once I opened my closet door, my complete closet was in flames,” Robledo recollects.
“All of my garments have been on fireplace. I yelled, ‘What did you do?’ I attempted to name 911 however I used to be panicked and ended up calling my pal who I might spoken to earlier within the time off my name log. I am screaming, ‘Name 911!’ ”
Robledo grabbed Toruga to get out of the house. As they acquired outdoors, first responders and the pal she referred to as have been arriving.
“I pulled him apart and advised him as everybody’s displaying up that I used to be scared and what I believed was occurring,” Robledo says. She admits she did not suppose her pal believed her at first. She advised him to not inform anybody, however he did what he thought was proper as an alternative.
Robledo was given oxygen as she started having contractions. Moments later, Toruga stated the identical was taking place to her.
“She’s telling the cops data that did not match what we knew about her. Then she tells the paramedics she thinks she’s in labor and desires to go to the hospital,” Robledo says.
“They grabbed that diaper bag she had along with her and I stated, ‘Wait!’ I grabbed the bag and advised everybody she stated she had a particular reward for me in there. She made it sound to me prefer it was a light-up Pillow Pet. I stated, ‘If that gentle is in right here, that proves I am loopy and paranoid,’ ” she recollects.
In keeping with Maricopa Police Division information, the place officers shared narratives of the night’s occasions, “[Fighter fighter Paul Newman] was handed a bag by the pregnant lady’s mom and the diaper bag contained two giant kitchen knives and scissors. Newman then handed me the bag, upon wanting into the large I noticed the knives and scissors. I took the bag and secured it in my patrol car.”
“I drop all of it and my arms are shaking, I am screaming, ‘I advised you she was going to kill me,’ ” Robledo says.
Police started an investigation at the moment. On the hospital, authorities confirmed that Toruga was not really pregnant.
As that course of unfolded, Robledo discovered herself at house, dealing with the truth that “folks did not consider me.” In February, she welcomed her son, Ryland.
“They felt I used to be in search of consideration as a result of I did not really get stabbed. There was no proof publicly of what occurred, in order that was actually troublesome for me as a brand new postpartum mother,” Robledo says.
Robledo’s mother and husband have been by her facet as she struggled to maneuver ahead. Whereas she was grateful to have survived the assault, she was discouraged by how slowly the investigation was shifting. She recollects “questioning if any of it was actual.”
“It put a maintain on me with the ability to be a cheerful mother. Weeks later, I acquired a name from the detective. He stated, ‘We’ve got Kassandra. She confessed all the pieces. We’ve got all the pieces and she or he’s going to go away for a extremely very long time.’ ”
One officer’s testimony of that admission reads, “I requested Kassandra what she was going to do with the knives she had in her diaper bag. Kassandra acknowledged she was going to stabbed [sic] Angelique with them. Kassandra acknowledged she hoped that Angelique would go into labor. Kassandra acknowledged she was going to kill Angelique and take the newborn.”
“It was a giant factor. Folks do not sometimes survive fetal abductions. I dissociated and appeared regular, however all through that complete first yr with Ryland, I used to be simply so unhappy,” Robledo says. “I do not bear in mind his first steps or his first phrases. I by no means went to counseling or handled the trauma. I simply saved going and wished to show I used to be sturdy and did not want anyone.”
Robledo says she was inundated with “messages and apologies” after information of Toruga’s arrest grew to become public. Police consider that Toruga was “obsessed” with having infants after earlier miscarriages and felt drawn to Robledo, who was none the wiser.
“I do know through the years folks have thought I used to be silly or naive, however I used to be a teen. I used to be considering, ‘This does not occur to folks like me.’ I did not even take into consideration her wanting my child. I simply thought she wished to kill me however by no means as soon as did it come into my head that she wished my child,” she says.
The authorized course of proved “disappointing” after Robledo discovered that Toruga’s confession can be thrown away due to a procedural error. In consequence, she may solely legally be held liable for arson.
“I did not actually perceive all the pieces. All I knew was that they have been telling me she may stroll, we may go to trial, or they might do a plea settlement the place she’d spend seven-and-a-half years in Arizona State Hospital to deal with her for schizophrenia, manic-depressive dysfunction, all of her diagnoses. I considered it for just a few days,” Robledo says. “At first, I wished her to go to jail as a result of I used to be so offended she wasn’t being charged with what she tried to do to me. Then I began considering that in the future, she’s going to be launched and I did not need that to occur with out getting the assistance she wants.”
Robledo recollects writing an emotional letter to learn at her sentencing. Although she cried as she advised Toruga that she did not “wish to hate her” and hoped to forgive her in the future, Toruga had nothing to say to the tearful new mother in response.
Toruga was launched in August of 2019.
“I had been holding observe of her earlier listening to and knew that there have been issues medicine and remedy wasn’t working,” Robledo says. “I did not go to the discharge however I went to the board listening to the place they evaluated her for launch.”
“As soon as she served her time, she magically acquired higher. It felt like b——- and I felt very uneasy. I spoke on my household’s behalf and noticed her for the primary time since her sentencing. Finally, she was launched with some supervision for the primary yr,” Robledo says.
Robledo has come to embrace the story as a part of her life’s journey. In doing so, she’s additionally shared it with Ryland, who’s now 13.
“I have been very open with my son. Ryland has been occurring interviews with me. He is seen interviews with me. When Kassandra was launched, Ryland was about 8 or 9. I made a decision I wanted to sit down down and speak to him and clarify to him who she was. I did not go into a significant element, however I did go into element about the truth that she’s a harmful girl,” she says.
“I defined to him about unhealthy folks on this world. It was troublesome for him to know at first, however now he does get that. He is aware of what occurred to us just isn’t widespread however to pay attention to folks and of his environment. Via this, I discovered that something can occur. It opened my eyes to how scary this world may be.”
Robledo has additionally felt empowered by sharing her story on TikTok, which helped her from “dissociating by it” to confronting her expertise.
“After [Kassandra’s] launch, I noticed there was this new factor inside me that wished my story to be heard. As soon as TikTok happened, I began seeing different survivors inform their tales, and I felt like I may inform mine,” she says. “I wished to say my story for myself as an alternative of letting outdoors channels or shops form it. I believe my therapeutic journey began the second I first shared my story on TikTok.”
She continues, “No person may twist my phrases. No person may say this did not occur. It was me, sharing my expertise for the primary time. Folks did perceive and that empowered me. I went to counseling and acquired to raised myself for the primary time since going by one thing so traumatic. I did not get stabbed, however figuring out her intentions and listening to her confession, it was so actual.”
“It is felt superb after being frightened of feedback and what folks would suppose. I needed to understand folks may say what they’d do or how they’d really feel, however no one’s been by it however me. No person’s life or their son’s life was in danger however mine.”
Robledo is grateful to make use of her platform to lift consciousness for fetal abduction. She’s additionally linked with different households impacted by the unusual however traumatizing crime.
“Folks do not hear these tales as a result of many individuals do not survive. They don’t seem to be right here to inform their tales. Now I take a look at it as I can advocate, not only for myself and my son, however for victims of this crime as a result of it isn’t quite common and I is usually a voice,” she says.
“I need ladies to know they’ll belief their instincts and instinct. I do not need folks to really feel unhealthy for me. I need them to be taught from me,” she continues. “I need them to know that all of us ignore instinct typically, however there is a time to hearken to it, too. It could possibly completely save your life.”
