A Texas woman accused of killing her longtime friend Heidi Broussard and abducting Broussard’s newborn daughter has been sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2019 murder.

Magen Fieramusca, 37, was sentenced after admitting responsibility for Broussard’s death. Broussard, 33, and her two-week-old daughter, Margot Carey, disappeared on December 12, 2019, after Broussard dropped her son off at an elementary school.

More than a week later, authorities discovered Broussard’s body inside a vehicle at Fieramusca’s residence. Her infant daughter was found unharmed inside the home.

Fieramusca had been indicted by a Travis County grand jury in 2020 and was accused of kidnapping Broussard and her baby and killing Broussard by asphyxiation. Her bond had previously been set at $1 million on the capital murder charge.

As part of the plea agreement, Fieramusca gave up her right to appeal. Travis County District Attorney José Garza said the agreement could help the victims’ families avoid prolonged post-conviction legal proceedings and provide an opportunity for them to move forward.

Fieramusca’s attorney, Brian Erskine, said the agreement was reached after discussions about mitigating circumstances and potential legal issues involving the search of Fieramusca’s home.

Broussard and Fieramusca had reportedly been friends for more than a decade after meeting at the Texas Bible Institute in Columbus, Texas. According to an arrest affidavit, the two women had discussed their pregnancies and the possibility of giving birth around the same time.

Investigators said it was unclear whether Fieramusca had actually been pregnant. The affidavit alleged that she had convinced friends and a former boyfriend that she had given birth and later attempted to present Broussard’s baby as her own.

Surveillance footage from Broussard’s apartment complex reportedly showed Fieramusca’s vehicle at the property on the day Broussard disappeared. A resident told investigators that she saw a woman carrying a small infant enter the vehicle before it left the area.

The investigation eventually led federal agents to Fieramusca’s former boyfriend, Christopher Green. Investigators reportedly approached Green after seeing him leave a Target store with baby supplies.

According to the affidavit, agents showed Green photographs of the missing mother and child, prompting him to tell them that the baby was at his home.

Green told investigators that he believed Fieramusca had been pregnant with his child and that she had previously told him she had given birth.

Fieramusca reportedly told authorities that she had delivered the baby at a birthing center in The Woodlands, north of Houston, and brought the child home the same day. However, investigators said she could not provide the name of the facility.

Margot was eventually reunited with her father and brother following the investigation.

SOURCE: CNN, Melissa Alonso, February 4, 2023.