Ohio Says April Corcoran Had Daughter Raped To Pay For Drugs: Her Plea

April Corcoran, 30, a mother, allegedly had her daughter raped in order to pay for heroin. Those are the charges made by Ohio prosecutors after indicting her on 27 felony counts.

Those counts include “complicity in rape, complicity in gross sexual imposition, endangering children, and human trafficking,” according to Cincinnati.com.

Corcoran pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday but is being held on a $5 million bond.

There were two individual instances of rape for heroin, prosecutors say, claiming that one occurred in February of 2014 and the other a few months later in June.

The daughter of April Corcoran, who was not named for her own safety and protection, was reportedly just 11-years-old at the time when her mom allegedly dropped her off at the home of a 41-year-old accused drug dealer named Shandell Willingham.

A report from USA Today reveals that Willingham will face one less charge than Corcoran (26). Among those charges: human trafficking, rape, and allegedly videotaping himself raping the little girl multiple times.

In comments to WCPO TV, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters called the case “sad beyond measure,” adding that instead of protecting her child, April Corcoran “saw her as a way to get drugs because the lure of heroin was apparently too strong.”

If Corcoran and Willingham are convicted of the charges leveled against them, they could be spending the rest of their lives behind bars.

Since the mom entered her Thursday plea, she will likely get the maximum sentence if convicted.

According to Cincinnati.com, Corcoran has made two public comments, though not orally. When news outlets tried to reach her, they found two pieces of paper taped to the door reading, “No comment” and “Talk to lawyer.”

James Bogen, her court-appointed attorney, did speak to the press.

“They tell me before she became hooked on heroin, she was a very loving and attentive parent.”

With no previous criminal record, it’s possible that Bogen will make a plea for leniency should April Corcoran end up losing her case.

It’s often said that a child should have a relationship with their parents if at all possible. But what do you think about cases like this one, readers?

If a mother is guilty of prostituting her child for money as a result of drug addiction, should she be given a second chance to know her child if she’s able to get clean, or is the child better off growing up never speaking to her mom again?

Whether that’s what happened in the case of April Corcoran, we’ll have to wait and see what a jury decides, but given the hypothetical raised by this case, what do you think is best for the child?