Claudia Zacchara
Encyclopedia
Claudia Antonia Corinthos (née
Zacchara) is a fictional character
from the ABC
daytime
soap opera
General Hospital
. The daughter of New York City
mob boss Anthony Zacchara, Claudia was portrayed by Sarah Brown beginning January 31, 2008. She left the role of Claudia on November 6, 2009 to join the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful
, starting on November 5. Brown also originated the role of Carly Corinthos
on General Hospital in 1996, leaving the series in 2001.
in the role of Carly, Brown returned to General Hospital in January 2008 as new character Claudia. Having previously won three Daytime Emmy Award
s and two Soap Opera Digest
Awards for her portrayal of Carly, Brown stated that a chance encounter with executive producer
Jill Farren Phelps
had precipitated discussions about her return to the series, and that they had never considered her reprising Carly. Initially contracted for a one-year run, Brown later re-signed for another year, citing both financial motives and her desire "to learn more about Claudia."
, Brown noted in January 2008 that striking head writer
Bob Guza had outlined the character beforehand. The strike ended a month later, and in December 2008 Brown acknowledged that the change in writers due to the strike had made Claudia "inconsistent" in that "half the things the writers had set up for me [ultimately] were changed ... you've made choices that don't work anymore and you're suddenly saying things that contradict what you did earlier."
Paired again with former co-star Maurice Benard
(who plays Carly's ex- and Claudia's current husband Sonny Corinthos
), Brown compared Claudia's dynamic with Sonny to Carly's:
Of the then-developing storyline that found Claudia trying to get pregnant by Sonny to protect herself from his wrath over her part in the shooting of his son Michael, Brown dismissed the idea that Claudia was "desperate":
At that time she called Claudia and Sonny's relationship "sick and twisted," suggesting that "once Claudia has his baby, perhaps love will blossom, but right now, I don’t think there’s a lot of love there." She added, "I don’t think Claudia would behave this way if she was in love with Sonny. I’m holding out hope that they will fall in love and fans will see that journey on camera." Calling Claudia's hiring of the hit man who accidentally shot Michael "a stupid move on Claudia’s part," Brown noted that the character "feels very guilty over her actions." The actress also voiced her interest in seeing how the writers would get Claudia out of this situation and how Sonny would forgive her.
in January 2008 by mob lawyer Trevor Lansing in the hope that she can assert some control over her wayward younger half-brother, Johnny Zacchara
. Mentally unstable mob boss Anthony had divorced Claudia's outspoken mother Domenica and kept custody of their daughter out of spite. After a 16-year-old Claudia had seduced Trevor, Anthony had sent her to Milan
, Italy
to be raised by his brother Rudy. Now Trevor, who has been secretly running the now fully insane Anthony's illegal operations for years, is surprised to find that Claudia, once a "gangly and awkward teen," is now a strong and vicious woman bent on taking over the Zacchara empire. Claudia and Sonny Corinthos
meet anonymously in a bar and end up in bed.
and Ian Devlin to kill Sonny; in the attempt, a bullet hits Sonny's son Michael instead, and the boy ends up in a coma. Jerry stabs Claudia on May 15, 2008 to cover his involvement in the shooting, and then kicks her into the river. She washes up on the beach and is found by Nikolas Cassadine
. Nikolas takes care of her, and while delirious she accidentally admits that she had hired Ian to kill Sonny; Nikolas threatens to tell Sonny's second-in-command Jason Morgan unless Claudia turns herself in. Nikolas ultimately allows Claudia to leave without reporting her to the police because she is aware that he had paid Devlin $10 million for drugs. Anthony makes a sudden recovery and is finally released from his mental institution, immediately shutting Claudia out of the business. Weeks later, he gives his daughter the opportunity to gain status in the mob family when she is quarantined with Jason Morgan and Damien Spinelli: if she can kill Jason, he will allow her back into the business. Claudia’s attempt fails.
Johnny's girlfriend Lulu Spencer
kills her ex-boyfriend Logan Hayes in self-defense; to protect her, Johnny tells Claudia that he had done it himself. Claudia dumps the body on the street trying to make it look like a hit-and-run, but Johnny is later arrested. Logan's estranged father Scott Baldwin
— the prosecuting attorney in Johnny's trial — fabricates documents claiming Logan was a police officer in order to make Johnny's potential sentence the death penalty. To save Johnny, Claudia perjures
herself on the stand, testifying that he killed Logan to stop him from raping her. Johnny is found not guilty.
, who begins falling in love with her. Anthony tells Sonny that if he wants to gain control of the Zacchara organization, he must marry Claudia. Sonny himself has a plan to use the union to destroy Anthony, and he and Claudia marry in December 2008. Claudia — though falling for Sonny and feeling guilty about Michael's condition — insists to Johnny that she is using her position as Sonny's wife to protect them from suspicion in Michael's shooting, but Johnny fears that she will somehow lead Sonny to the truth about their involvement. Claudia receives a DVD from the presumably dead Jerry revealing her role in the shooting, several copies of which he has hidden in the Corinthos mansion.
Claudia tells Sonny about her father's role in the shooting of Kate Howard
, and gives Sonny information that allows him to freeze Anthony's off-shore bank accounts. Prevented from fleeing to Brazil
, a furious Anthony kidnaps Claudia on February 25, 2009, threatening to kill her unless Sonny brings him $20 million. Sonny arrives with the money, but finds Claudia tied to a bomb and rescues her. Sonny and Claudia later make love. Ric and Jasper Jacks
learn that Claudia is responsible for Michael's shooting, and Ric decides to blackmail her with the information. Though she does not want children, Claudia becomes pregnant by Sonny in order to stay alive should he discover the truth. Sonny initially throws Claudia out after Ric suggests that he may be the baby's father, but Sonny eventually allows her to stay until the baby's paternity is confirmed. An amniocentesis
later proves that the baby is Sonny's. On her way to tell him, Claudia is accidentally run off the road by Sonny's daughter Kristina Davis, and miscarries the baby. She contacts Jerry Jacks
in the hospital to get him to track down Michael and Kristina, who ran away from home. They are eventually found by Jason and Sam.
On September 8, 2009, Claudia and Sonny go to the carnival with the kids. While Claudia shares a carnival ride with Molly and Kristina, a drugged Edward Quartermaine
drives into the fair, killing and injuring several people. After the accident, Kristina is missing until Michael finds her unharmed under a pile of rubble. While on a business trip to Puerto Rico
with Sonny, Claudia holds her own against rival mob bosses, and an impressed Sonny decides to throw his wife a lavish birthday party at the Metro Court Hotel.
Soon after, a mysterious photographer, obsessed with Jason, has a model pose as Claudia's corpse and photographs her in the position Claudia died in.
, his son with Olivia). The adults in Michael's life arranged for him to leave the country until the trial ended to prevent him from confessing. Diane Miller defended Sonny, while federal prosecutor Claire Walsh
was hired by Jasper Jacks
to assure Sonny's conviction. Both sides resorted to ethically questionable tactics to this end: Diane encouraged Maxie Jones
to perjure herself and knowingly accepted Carly's bogus, albeit convincing, testimony, while Claire, assuming that Michael's testimony would ensure Sonny's conviction, did everything in her power to find him, going so far as to force Claudia's brother Johnny to lie on the stand that Sonny routinely beat and abused Claudia, and to pull Morgan Corinthos out of school under false pretenses without his parents' knowledge to testify.
After being pressured by Claire for months, Dante found Michael, who was hiding out on Sonny's private island. Michael tells Dante that he killed Claudia, not Sonny, and showed evidence to support his "confession". As Sonny's verdict was to be served, Dante enters and surrendered Michael as Claudia's true killer. Michael was placed on the stand and forced to confess, exonerating Sonny. Though Dante had believed that Michael would be given a lenient sentence, Judge Carroll instead sentenced Michael to two-to-five years in Pentonville Adult Correctional Facility to punish everyone for their role in the cover-up and to punish Diane and Claire specifically for their courtroom antics. However, Dante and Claire, guilt-ridden over their roles in Michael's incarceration, eventually convinced the judge to let Michael go early.
Because Sonny treated Claudia so poorly when she was alive, Johnny has vowed to destroy Sonny's empire to avenge his sister.
Despite the fact that Claudia is dead, she is still mentioned and hinted by various characters.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Zacchara) is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
daytime
DAYTIME
The Daytime Protocol is a service in the Internet Protocol Suite, defined in 1983 in RFC 867. It is intended for testing and measurement purposes in computer networks....
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. The daughter of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
mob boss Anthony Zacchara, Claudia was portrayed by Sarah Brown beginning January 31, 2008. She left the role of Claudia on November 6, 2009 to join the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
, starting on November 5. Brown also originated the role of Carly Corinthos
Carly Corinthos
Caroline Leigh "Carly" Corinthos Jacks is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. Originated by Sarah Brown on April 8, 1996, the role of Carly has been portrayed by Laura Wright since 2005...
on General Hospital in 1996, leaving the series in 2001.
Casting
With actress Laura WrightLaura Wright
Laura Wright is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Cassie Layne Winslow on Guiding Light , and since 2005, her portrayal of Carly Corinthos on General Hospital; the latter garnered her the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2011.-Filmography:* 1991 - 1995:...
in the role of Carly, Brown returned to General Hospital in January 2008 as new character Claudia. Having previously won three Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s and two Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
Awards for her portrayal of Carly, Brown stated that a chance encounter with executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer.-Career:Phelps has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara , Guiding Light , Another World , One Life to Live , and currently General Hospital .Phelps got her start...
had precipitated discussions about her return to the series, and that they had never considered her reprising Carly. Initially contracted for a one-year run, Brown later re-signed for another year, citing both financial motives and her desire "to learn more about Claudia."
Characterization
With Claudia debuting during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
, Brown noted in January 2008 that striking head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
Bob Guza had outlined the character beforehand. The strike ended a month later, and in December 2008 Brown acknowledged that the change in writers due to the strike had made Claudia "inconsistent" in that "half the things the writers had set up for me [ultimately] were changed ... you've made choices that don't work anymore and you're suddenly saying things that contradict what you did earlier."
Paired again with former co-star Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard is an American actor. He is known primarily for his portrayal of romantic mobster Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital, a role he has portrayed since 1993.-Career:...
(who plays Carly's ex- and Claudia's current husband Sonny Corinthos
Sonny Corinthos
Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role, that of a manic depressive Mob boss living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993...
), Brown compared Claudia's dynamic with Sonny to Carly's:
Carly was a more outwardly insecure character who was always professing feelings of love and devotion to perfect strangers and people she identified with right away. She was more open, so she had much more drama on the table on a regular basis. Working with Maurice now, we want to keep things hidden under the surface, to make a bit more work for the audience to figure out what's going on. That's what they do in nighttime [television]. It's more interesting when you're not spoon-fed.
Of the then-developing storyline that found Claudia trying to get pregnant by Sonny to protect herself from his wrath over her part in the shooting of his son Michael, Brown dismissed the idea that Claudia was "desperate":
I refuse to play a needy woman who relies on a pregnancy to save her life. Trust me — it won’t go there ... it’s not why I signed on to this show again. And I don’t think Bob [Guza] sees that kind of desperation in Claudia or myself. It’s not a road either of us are interested in travelling down. It’s also not what I do well. I like to think Claudia and I are a little more dimensional than that. Look, she ran the mafia in Italy with her uncle Rudy. She’s one of the guys. In many ways, she flourishes more in a man’s world than the men do ... Who wants to see a needy girl sit there, desperate for love from a man? There must be more dynamics in this relationship.
At that time she called Claudia and Sonny's relationship "sick and twisted," suggesting that "once Claudia has his baby, perhaps love will blossom, but right now, I don’t think there’s a lot of love there." She added, "I don’t think Claudia would behave this way if she was in love with Sonny. I’m holding out hope that they will fall in love and fans will see that journey on camera." Calling Claudia's hiring of the hit man who accidentally shot Michael "a stupid move on Claudia’s part," Brown noted that the character "feels very guilty over her actions." The actress also voiced her interest in seeing how the writers would get Claudia out of this situation and how Sonny would forgive her.
Arrival
Claudia is summoned to Port CharlesPort Charles, New York (Fictional City)
Port Charles, New York is the fictional setting of the ABC Daytime soap operas General Hospital and its spin-offs Port Charles and General Hospital: Night Shift. It was later retroactively revealed as the setting of The Young Marrieds, a short-lived series which ran between 1964 and 1966...
in January 2008 by mob lawyer Trevor Lansing in the hope that she can assert some control over her wayward younger half-brother, Johnny Zacchara
Johnny Zacchara
John "Johnny" Anthony Zacchara is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital and the contract role has been portrayed Brandon Barash since 18 September 2007. Within the series, he is known as the son of mobster Anthony Zacchara.-Arrival:...
. Mentally unstable mob boss Anthony had divorced Claudia's outspoken mother Domenica and kept custody of their daughter out of spite. After a 16-year-old Claudia had seduced Trevor, Anthony had sent her to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to be raised by his brother Rudy. Now Trevor, who has been secretly running the now fully insane Anthony's illegal operations for years, is surprised to find that Claudia, once a "gangly and awkward teen," is now a strong and vicious woman bent on taking over the Zacchara empire. Claudia and Sonny Corinthos
Sonny Corinthos
Michael "Sonny" Corinthos, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Maurice Benard has played the role, that of a manic depressive Mob boss living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993...
meet anonymously in a bar and end up in bed.
Michael's shooting
Soon after, she realizes his identity, knowing that Sonny is "her chief rival for control over Port Charles." When Sonny learns who Claudia is and she makes her intentions for Port Charles known, the battle lines are drawn. Sonny rejects her further sexual advances, and leaves her for dead after an explosion. Claudia hires Jerry JacksJerry Jacks
Jerard Aloysius "Jerry" Jacks was a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He was portrayed by Julian Stone from April 10, 1998 to December 14, 1999. In January 2007 the role was resumed by Sebastian Roché with the in-universe explanation that character James Craig ...
and Ian Devlin to kill Sonny; in the attempt, a bullet hits Sonny's son Michael instead, and the boy ends up in a coma. Jerry stabs Claudia on May 15, 2008 to cover his involvement in the shooting, and then kicks her into the river. She washes up on the beach and is found by Nikolas Cassadine
Nikolas Cassadine
Prince Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich Cassadine is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera General Hospital. The role was originated by Tyler Christopher, who played the character from 1996–1999, and then after a four-year hiatus resumed the role in 2003 and left the show in 2011...
. Nikolas takes care of her, and while delirious she accidentally admits that she had hired Ian to kill Sonny; Nikolas threatens to tell Sonny's second-in-command Jason Morgan unless Claudia turns herself in. Nikolas ultimately allows Claudia to leave without reporting her to the police because she is aware that he had paid Devlin $10 million for drugs. Anthony makes a sudden recovery and is finally released from his mental institution, immediately shutting Claudia out of the business. Weeks later, he gives his daughter the opportunity to gain status in the mob family when she is quarantined with Jason Morgan and Damien Spinelli: if she can kill Jason, he will allow her back into the business. Claudia’s attempt fails.
Johnny's girlfriend Lulu Spencer
Lulu Spencer
Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the daughter of supercouple Luke and Laura Spencer. She has notably been portrayed by Julie Marie Berman, who debuted in the role in November 2005...
kills her ex-boyfriend Logan Hayes in self-defense; to protect her, Johnny tells Claudia that he had done it himself. Claudia dumps the body on the street trying to make it look like a hit-and-run, but Johnny is later arrested. Logan's estranged father Scott Baldwin
Scott Baldwin
Scott Baldwin is a fictional character from the ABC soap operas, General Hospital and its now-defunct spinoff Port Charles. He is often remembered as the "odd man out" in GH's well-known love story of Luke and Laura Spencer. The character debuted on GH as a child in the 1960s...
— the prosecuting attorney in Johnny's trial — fabricates documents claiming Logan was a police officer in order to make Johnny's potential sentence the death penalty. To save Johnny, Claudia perjures
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
herself on the stand, testifying that he killed Logan to stop him from raping her. Johnny is found not guilty.
Alliance and Marriage to Sonny
Claudia sleeps with Sonny's brother, Ric LansingRic Lansing
Richard "Ric" Lansing was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The character was played by soap opera veteran Rick Hearst from 2002 to 2009.- Casting and background :...
, who begins falling in love with her. Anthony tells Sonny that if he wants to gain control of the Zacchara organization, he must marry Claudia. Sonny himself has a plan to use the union to destroy Anthony, and he and Claudia marry in December 2008. Claudia — though falling for Sonny and feeling guilty about Michael's condition — insists to Johnny that she is using her position as Sonny's wife to protect them from suspicion in Michael's shooting, but Johnny fears that she will somehow lead Sonny to the truth about their involvement. Claudia receives a DVD from the presumably dead Jerry revealing her role in the shooting, several copies of which he has hidden in the Corinthos mansion.
Claudia tells Sonny about her father's role in the shooting of Kate Howard
Kate Howard
Katherine "Kate" Hardwicke Howard is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. The character was introduced to the show in May 2007, and was portrayed by Megan Ward since the character's introduction. Ward last appeared on-screen on October 20, 2010...
, and gives Sonny information that allows him to freeze Anthony's off-shore bank accounts. Prevented from fleeing to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, a furious Anthony kidnaps Claudia on February 25, 2009, threatening to kill her unless Sonny brings him $20 million. Sonny arrives with the money, but finds Claudia tied to a bomb and rescues her. Sonny and Claudia later make love. Ric and Jasper Jacks
Jasper Jacks
Jasper "Jax" Jacks is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. He has been played by actor Ingo Rademacher from January 1996 to August 2000, and from August 2001 to July 2011. In January 2008, the role was temporarily filled by Gideon Emery...
learn that Claudia is responsible for Michael's shooting, and Ric decides to blackmail her with the information. Though she does not want children, Claudia becomes pregnant by Sonny in order to stay alive should he discover the truth. Sonny initially throws Claudia out after Ric suggests that he may be the baby's father, but Sonny eventually allows her to stay until the baby's paternity is confirmed. An amniocentesis
Amniocentesis
Amniocentesis is a medical procedure used in prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities and fetal infections, in which a small amount of amniotic fluid, which contains fetal tissues, is sampled from the amnion or amniotic sac surrounding a developing fetus, and the fetal DNA is examined for...
later proves that the baby is Sonny's. On her way to tell him, Claudia is accidentally run off the road by Sonny's daughter Kristina Davis, and miscarries the baby. She contacts Jerry Jacks
Jerry Jacks
Jerard Aloysius "Jerry" Jacks was a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He was portrayed by Julian Stone from April 10, 1998 to December 14, 1999. In January 2007 the role was resumed by Sebastian Roché with the in-universe explanation that character James Craig ...
in the hospital to get him to track down Michael and Kristina, who ran away from home. They are eventually found by Jason and Sam.
On September 8, 2009, Claudia and Sonny go to the carnival with the kids. While Claudia shares a carnival ride with Molly and Kristina, a drugged Edward Quartermaine
Edward Quartermaine
Edward Louis Quartermaine is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. The character was created in 1978, originally played by David Lewis. When ill health forced Lewis to step down from the role in 1989, the character was killed off in a plane crash. Lewis' voice was still...
drives into the fair, killing and injuring several people. After the accident, Kristina is missing until Michael finds her unharmed under a pile of rubble. While on a business trip to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
with Sonny, Claudia holds her own against rival mob bosses, and an impressed Sonny decides to throw his wife a lavish birthday party at the Metro Court Hotel.
Death
Jason and Sam McCall are able to find proof that Claudia was responsible for Michael being shot, and Jason reveals the truth to Sonny. At the celebration, Sonny alerts all of the guests to Claudia's culpability and verbally rips her to shreds. Backed into a corner, Claudia panics and kidnaps a pregnant Carly. As Carly goes into premature labor, Claudia steals a car. Fearing that Claudia intends to take her daughter, Carly causes the car to crash, and while Claudia is unconscious makes her way to a cabin to deliver her daughter. Claudia tracks Carly down and helps her give birth, but, having suffered a complete mental breakdown, became fixated on the baby and refused to hand her over to Carly. Michael is able to track the two to the cabin, and in order to protect his mother and newborn sister, hits Claudia in the head with an axe handle, accidentally killing her instantly. After Jason and Sam evacuate Carly, baby Josslyn, and Michael, Jason returns and burns the cabin down before burying Claudia's body in the woods.Soon after, a mysterious photographer, obsessed with Jason, has a model pose as Claudia's corpse and photographs her in the position Claudia died in.
Post-mortem
On January 29, 2010, Sonny was arrested for Claudia's murder, following semi-doctored evidence supported by Dominic Pirelli (it was revealed on that night to Sonny that Dominic was actually Dante FalconeriDante Falconeri
Dante Angelo Falconeri is a fictional character on the popular daytime soap opera General Hospital. Dante is the son of the popular character Sonny Corinthos and his old flame Olivia Falconeri. He has been portrayed by contract player Dominic Zamprogna since June 22, 2009.-Character description...
, his son with Olivia). The adults in Michael's life arranged for him to leave the country until the trial ended to prevent him from confessing. Diane Miller defended Sonny, while federal prosecutor Claire Walsh
Claire Walsh
Claire Walsh is a fictional character from the original American daytime drama, General Hospital. She has been portrayed by Dahlia Salem as a recurring character from February 24, 2010 to January 21, 2011.-Early history:...
was hired by Jasper Jacks
Jasper Jacks
Jasper "Jax" Jacks is a fictional character from the ABC soap opera General Hospital. He has been played by actor Ingo Rademacher from January 1996 to August 2000, and from August 2001 to July 2011. In January 2008, the role was temporarily filled by Gideon Emery...
to assure Sonny's conviction. Both sides resorted to ethically questionable tactics to this end: Diane encouraged Maxie Jones
Maxie Jones
Mariah Maximilliana "Maxie" Jones is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital currently portrayed by Kirsten Storms. She is the oldest daughter of supercouple Frisco and Felicia Jones. In 2009, Storms was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role of Maxie Jones...
to perjure herself and knowingly accepted Carly's bogus, albeit convincing, testimony, while Claire, assuming that Michael's testimony would ensure Sonny's conviction, did everything in her power to find him, going so far as to force Claudia's brother Johnny to lie on the stand that Sonny routinely beat and abused Claudia, and to pull Morgan Corinthos out of school under false pretenses without his parents' knowledge to testify.
After being pressured by Claire for months, Dante found Michael, who was hiding out on Sonny's private island. Michael tells Dante that he killed Claudia, not Sonny, and showed evidence to support his "confession". As Sonny's verdict was to be served, Dante enters and surrendered Michael as Claudia's true killer. Michael was placed on the stand and forced to confess, exonerating Sonny. Though Dante had believed that Michael would be given a lenient sentence, Judge Carroll instead sentenced Michael to two-to-five years in Pentonville Adult Correctional Facility to punish everyone for their role in the cover-up and to punish Diane and Claire specifically for their courtroom antics. However, Dante and Claire, guilt-ridden over their roles in Michael's incarceration, eventually convinced the judge to let Michael go early.
Because Sonny treated Claudia so poorly when she was alive, Johnny has vowed to destroy Sonny's empire to avenge his sister.
Despite the fact that Claudia is dead, she is still mentioned and hinted by various characters.