A woman whose unborn child was almost cut from her stomach faced her attacker in court Friday.
After 40-year-old Veronica Deramous entered her plea of guilty to first-degree assault and took an Alford plea to false imprisonment, an emotional Teka Adams told how she could no longer trust anyone after Deramous, a woman she said befriended her with an offer of help to a pregnant mother, tied her up and held her captive over the course of three days in December. Deramous tried to cut Adams's unborn child out of her womb with a box cutter.
Before Friday's hearing, Adams said she wanted to be able to look Deramous in the eyes and tell her how she feels. In court, Adams told her attacker she hopes she rots in jail.
Deramous read from a written statement, saying she met Adams in a bar, befriended her and agreed to buy the unborn baby for $5,000.
Hearing that, Adams charged the defense table and had to be restrained. She crumbled to the floor in tears before she was removed from he courtroom.
Deramous continued, saying she only bound Adams hands to keep Adams from taking her money. Deramous said the deal to buy the baby was falling apart and she started drinking. She said she didn't remember trying to cut the baby from the womb.
Deramous was sentenced to 25 years for first-degree assault and life with all but 15 years suspended for false imprisonment, plus five years supervised parole. With time served, she could be paroled in 12-and-a-half to 13 years.
