The Spanish Supreme Court has sentenced a Moroccan woman to life imprisonment after finding her guilty of suffocating her newborn daughter immediately after giving birth at her home in Vícar, Almería. According to Spanish media, the ruling is subject to appeal. The case dates back to 2020, when the woman gave birth at the farm where she was living. The baby was born alive but was suffocated by her mother the same day. The jury concluded that the woman intentionally applied pressure to the infant's neck with the intent to kill, taking advantage of the baby's total inability to defend herself. The original verdict was handed down by the provincial court in Almería in December 2023 and later upheld by the High Court of Justice of Andalusia in June 2024. The Supreme Court confirmed the conviction, deeming the evidence sufficient and credible, particularly the forensic report, which ruled out accidental causes and established mechanical asphyxiation as the cause of death. Days after the incident, the placenta was discovered in a bag discarded in an agricultural water tank used for waste. DNA testing confirmed the woman's involvement, and her genetic material was also found on a tool used to dispose of the evidence. In its ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction for premeditated murder, emphasizing that the perpetrator had exploited the victim's extreme vulnerability as a newborn.
