The Netflix series The Asunta Case has once again brought to the fore one of the most analyzed patricides in Spanish criminal history: the murder of the girl Asunta Basterra. Although very faithful to the main axes of the real plot and even to the dialogues that occurred between the murderers and their statements during the interrogations, the six chapters of the serial do not allow us to delve into all the aspects of the instruction. The La Vanguardia podcast 'Dossier Negro' dedicated a special installment to this case in which, in addition to delving into the evidence of the case and collecting the voices of witnesses, it provided the testimony of a fellow prisoner from Rosario with whom highlights something that is very evident in the television blockbuster: the complex and multifaceted personality of Asunta's mother.
Details such as the statement of a witness who claimed to see Asunta walking down the street with her father on the afternoon of the crime or the shocking story of one of the music teachers of this child prodigy born in China are elements that are exposed in abundance in the delivery of 'Dossier Negro' The parents who did not love their daughter.
The girl, 12 years old, was murdered by her parents on September 21, 2013 on a farm in the municipality of Teo, south of Santiago de Compostela. The court determined that her adoptive parents were responsible for the death of Asunta Basterra Porto and for this reason they were sentenced to 18 years in prison. Alfonso Basterra remains in prison. Rosario Porto committed suicide in 2020. She was found hanged in her cell.
Alfonso continues to maintain his innocence from prison and has never acknowledged his participation in the events. He appears not to have abandoned the defiant tone he exhibited during the instruction and oral hearing.
Rosario also maintained her innocence until the end of her days, although she never demonstrated that firmness of mind that her ex-husband has shown during the years since the crime. Asunta's mother had two failed suicide attempts in prison until she finally achieved her goal.
