Netflix regularly unveils new documentary series from True Crime, inspired by true stories, in its catalog. In 2024, the platform notably released The Kidnapped Trutha disappearance case which caused a lot of ink to flow in the United States.
At the end of April, Netflix added a docu-fiction: The Asunta Affair. In this series of six episodes of approximately one hour, real people are played by actors.
The Asunta Affair: the murder of a 12-year-old child which shocked Spain
The Asunta Affair traces the story of the disappearance of a 12-year-old child, Asunta Basterra, finally found dead. This sordid story shook Spain in 2013. At the time, the parents, Alfonso Basterra and Rosario Porto, reported the disappearance of their daughter. They will end up accused of being behind the murder of their child. Little Asunta, adopted child, is found died of asphyxiation.
Investigators went to the parents after discovering during the autopsy that the little girl ingested lorazepam for 3 months before his death. According to witnesses, Asunta declared “ my mother is trying to kill me “. As the investigation progressed, the evidence grew.
The Asunta Affair solved?
If Netflix chose fiction for this affair, the series follows reality. It presents in particular the two main hypotheses retained by the investigators: the mother as the sole culprit or both parents. During the last episode of the documentary, viewers discover the trial of the parents, who, as in real life, are sentenced to 18 years in prison farm.
However, the series does not reveal whether the parents are indeed guilty. For good reason, the truth never really came out. The parents never confessed to the murder and appealed (which was rejected by the courts). The actual course of events therefore remains unknown. No one knows at this time how the child died and why. Rosario Porto ended his life in prison in 2020.
