Washington woman pleads not guilty to trying to steal baby
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A Washington woman has pleaded not guilty to drugging a mother after authorities say she posed as a photographer in an complex plot to kidnap the mother’s newborn baby.
Juliette Parker, 38, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to attempted kidnapping and assault in Pierce County Superior Court, The News Tribune reported.
Parker posted $50,000 bail over the weekend and was released. New bail of $150,000 was set Tuesday after prosecutors described her as a flight risk and she was booked again into jail. Parker moved to Washington last year after losing a mayoral election in Colorado Springs, Colorado, The Gazette reported.
On Friday, deputies arrested Parker, who lives south of Tacoma, and her 16-year-old daughter. The teen was expected to be arraigned at a juvenile detention center Tuesday on the same charges.
Parker connected with mothers through a Facebook group and offered to do free photo shoots of newborns to build her portfolio, according to court documents. Investigators said at least a dozen women have contacted them with stories of interacting with Parker, who also has gone by the names “Juliette Noel” or “Juliette Gaines."
Parker drugged one mother whose Spanaway home she visited earlier this month with her daughter, documents said. The new mom said she was “pressured” into eating cupcakes they brought and after taking a bite, she said her body went numb.She then asked Parker and her daughter to leave, documents said.
They left but wiped down the drinking glasses they’d used and stole the victim’s house keys, according to court documents.
When the woman texted Parker to ask if she had the keys, Parker said she’d found the keys in her yard and offered to have them delivered, according to court documents.
Documents say the new mom called 911 and that doctors said she appeared to have been drugged.
Detectives said they've found text messages between Parker and an ex-boyfriend dating back to November 2019, when Parker “talked about how they should get a kid from a homeless person and raise the child together in a nice house,” records said. The ex-boyfriend joked about kidnapping a baby and Parker said she’d marry him immediately if he could find her a baby girl in the next five weeks, documents said.
