The woman who threw her baby into a dumpster in Portocristo: "I should have thrown him in a field"

PalmThe mother of the baby girl who was thrown into a dumpster in Portocristo in November 2023 told a friend on the phone days later that she "should have thrown her in the countryside" at the time of birth. During Wednesday's jury trial at the Provincial Court, several phone calls intercepted from the mother days after she gave birth to the 26-week-old baby were played. "I should have had her here and thrown her in the countryside," she tells the other person, who insists that she not go to the police station until the baby's autopsy is performed. "We did it wrong," the defendant insists to the other person, who tells her that the baby had no chance of surviving and refers to a neighbor's call to 112 (the Spanish emergency number) who became suspicious of the baby's uncle after seeing him loitering around the dumpsters. The mother recounts how the fetus "came out whole" in the car.

At another point in the conversation, the woman recounts that her lawyer had explained that if the autopsy revealed the baby was alive when thrown into the dumpster, she could face 15 years in prison for murder. "The baby was alive," the other person replies. "I've gotten myself into a huge mess. I didn't think they'd summon me. Many people have done it and haven't been caught," she remarked at another point.

During the questioning, and only responding to her lawyer, the accused maintained that she was unaware she was pregnant and that on the afternoon of the events, after beginning to feel unwell, she asked her sister to accompany her to Manacor Hospital. It was on the way to the hospital, she explained, that she went into labor. "I looked for a second and saw a lot of blood. I just asked them to give me something to clean myself up. It all came out, and I gave it to him" [her uncle, who is also accused], she stated.

The mother claimed she didn't know the fetus was alive. "The biggest mistake of my life was throwing it in the manure. I never thought it was alive. I only saw blood; I wouldn't have done it," she stated. The baby's uncle, also accused, claimed he threw the pile of patches the woman gave him into the bin without knowing it was a fetus. The mother's sister, also accused, in this case of failure to provide assistance, claimed she didn't see any fetus.

Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole

The prosecutor in the case requested on Wednesday that the mother and uncle of the newborn be sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. The trial concluded on Wednesday, and the jury will receive the verdict form on Thursday to begin deliberations. The mother's sister is also accused, and the prosecution is requesting a fine of €5,400 for her alleged failure to provide assistance. The mother's lawyer argued that, if convicted, she should be found guilty of manslaughter. The prosecutor maintained her request for life imprisonment with the possibility of parole for the mother and uncle because, in her opinion, "they knew that if they left the baby in the container, she would die." "They killed her," she added. The prosecutor rejected the defense's arguments in favor of manslaughter. "She knew it was her daughter and they had a hospital nearby. There was no recklessness involved; there was an intention to get rid of the baby," she added. It should be recalled that the Provincial Court's Jury Court is conducting a second trial after the first one had to be annulled last year due to doubts that arose regarding an expert witness's qualifications. The events, according to the prosecutor's indictment, occurred on November 3, 2023, when the woman, 26 or 27 weeks pregnant, became pregnant inside a vehicle in which she was traveling with the other two defendants. After giving birth, and despite being in the vicinity of a hospital, the baby's mother gave the newborn to the man so he could throw it in a nearby dumpster, and they fled the scene.