There has been a resolution in a Capital Region cold case that lingered for decades.
Nearly three decades after a grisly discovery in Albany, the courtroom was packed Friday to see Kerri Mazzuca sentenced to 25 years for murder.
It’s known as the “Baby Moses” case. Her infant son’s body had been smothered, burned, and left near the Moses statue in Washington Park in 1997. Decades later, detectives worked with state and federal authorities to identify Mazzuca as the boy’s mother.
Mazzuca, of Altamont, pleaded guilty in 2024. Mazzuca, who was 25 at the time of the baby’s death, will also serve a concurrent sentence for tampering with evidence. She spoke during sentencing in Albany County Court.
"I'm sorry," Mazzuca said. "I did a horrible, unimaginable thing, and I live with remorse and regret. I am a great mom. I've lived a law-abiding life, and I do deserve a lengthy sentence. I just hope you use some discretion and go to the lower end."
Prosecutors said Mazzuca smothered the baby after she gave birth in her apartment. She says she was unaware that she was pregnant at the time. Mazzuca then wrapped the infant in a blue cloth and set him on fire.
Mazzuca and her defense attorney, Andrew Safranko, were asking for the judge to set a reduced sentence between 22 to 25 years.
“Did she commit a terrible act? Absolutely,” Safranko said. “Does she deserve to be punished? 1,000 percent. But there's no question that she has an otherwise zero criminal history and lived a law-abiding life.”
Deputy Chief Albany County Assistant District Attorney Jessica Blain-Lewis argued that Mazzuca is already facing a reduced sentence and while she has admitted to killing the infant, she takes little-to-no responsibility.
Mazzuca told detectives she didn’t have another option. In a written statement, a probation officer in the case says “Albany police detectives involved in the case were more affected by the baby’s death…” than Mazzuca. Blain-Lewis read an excerpt from the letter.
“In this writer's opinion, the defendant presents as the polar opposite of an upstanding citizen,” Blain-Lewis said. “By her own admission, she had other options to killing her newborn child, though she made a point of informing this writer back then they didn't have the resources or the safe haven boxes. This writer is older than the defendant and is quite certain that back then there were ample alternatives to killing an innocent child.”
The father of “Baby Moses” has been identified by police. His name was not shared. Police say the father has been cleared of any guilt.
Police Chief Brendan Cox was a patrol officer at the time of the killing. He highlighted the use of new technology used in the case. He adds officers don’t forget cases, even if they’ve gone cold.
"While this is special because a child was involved, because a baby was involved, there's no case that we forget,” Cox said. “We talk about cold cases. It's not the cold cases, it's the fact that any case to us is real, it's alive, and we try to carry on and make sure that we bring justice to victims, that we keep those cases alive, that we want closure for people.”
Mazzuca’s sentence will be followed by five years post release supervision. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision says where Mazzuca will serve the sentence is being determined.
