A Massachusetts woman charged with killing her pregnant friend and stealing her unborn baby began trial on Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported.

In his opening statement, prosecutor Daniel Bennett claimed Julie Corey, 39, was telling people the baby she stole from the womb of her friend, 23-year-old Darlene Haynes, was her own.

"Her intention was to take the baby away from Darlene Haynes," Bennett said.

Corey is charged with killing Haynes in Hayne's apartment and stealing her baby from her abdomen in 2009. According to a report on MassLive.com, Corey faked her pregnancy.

She was the last person seen with Haynes, who was eight months pregnant at the time, police said.

Several days after Haynes' decomposing body was discovered, Corey was found with her boyfriend, Alex Dion, and the baby at a homeless shelter in Plymouth, New Hampshire.

Corey's lawyer, Michael C. Wilcox, placed the blame on Dion, citing a history of abuse and claimed police failed to follow up on several leads with him.

"There is no question that the police did not complete a thorough investigation here," Wilcox said. "Leads were not followed."

Wilcox did not specify how Corey got the baby, who is now four-years-old and in the custody of her father.

Corey has pleaded not guilty and Dion has not been charged.

The prosecution showed the jury several graphic photos of Haynes' autopsy, which showed that her head had been bashed in.