The killer stepmum who suffocated her boyfriend’s eight-year-old son after he called her “ugly” has been found guilty in the Spanish court.
The jury unanimously found Ana Julia Quezada guilty of the premeditated murder of Gabriel Cruz in the municipality of Nijar in the southern Spanish province of Almeria after deliberating for nearly 27 hours.
The 45-year-old woman from the Dominican Republic killed her boyfriend’s young son on 27th February 2018 by covering his mouth with her hand.
She previously said in court: “I did not want to harm the child, I wanted him to be quiet.”
Quezada claimed that the boy approached her brandishing an axe and calling her “ugly”. When he allegedly said he did not want her to be with his dad, she covered his mouth.
She explained: “I used both hands, the right (hand) was definitely over his mouth, the left one I don’t know.
“When I let him go, I placed my hand on his chest and he wasn’t breathing.”
Reports said that the defendant then dug a hole and buried the victim’s body, but she later dug up the corpse and it was found in her car after a 12-day search.
Quezada, who was in relationship with the victim’s father Angel Cruz, even pretended to actively look for the child while he was missing.
The defendant is waiting to be sentenced by the judge. Although reports have not given a date yet, prosecutors are reportedly asking for life imprisonment.
The victim’s mother Patricia Ramirez told reporters from the steps outside the court: “As we said all along, we were going to fight tooth and nail to prevent this witch from walking on the streets again and we believe we have succeeded.”
However, defence lawyer Esteban Hernandez called the high-profile trial “contaminated” and said that he strongly believes “there are grounds for an appeal”.
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Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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