The Supreme Court upheld the life sentence for the mother for the murders of four newborns in Ciecierzyna in the Opole province

– The defense believes that Aleksandra J. was harmed by the judgments passed in her case, especially in terms of the pain she suffers for the actions she committed. But it cannot be assumed that the convicted person in this case was treated unfairly by the courts, said judge Zbigniew Puszkarski in the justification for Wednesday's ruling.

As he noted, “each case has its own unique realities.” – The courts were right when they weighed the criminal severity of J.'s actions through the prism of repetitive behavior. It concerns the murders of four children over a period of just over five years. It can be said that J. became a serial killer and treated taking the lives of newborns as an easy way to regulate the demographic situation of this family – noted Judge Puszkarski.

– The courts noticed this and it cannot be said that she was treated in a grossly harsh manner – concluded the Supreme Court judge.

Thus, the case of responsibility for these shocking crimes from 2013-2018 has finally ended. Initially, the court of second instance sentenced the woman to 25 years in prison, but the then prosecutor general Zbigniew Ziobro he filed a cassation appeal to the detriment of the convict and her partner, who was sentenced to 15 years and the father of her children.

In March 2023, the Supreme Court partially accepted that cassation appeal, overturning the sentence against the woman in terms of the penalty imposed on her, and the case of Aleksandra J. returned to the Court of Appeal in Wrocław, which in September 2023 sentenced the woman to life imprisonment. The defense filed a cassation appeal against the last judgment and it was heard by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

The case of the crime from Ciecierzyno near Kluczbork was widely reported throughout the country. The murders took place between 2013 and 2018 in the village where 28-year-old Aleksandra J. and her 37-year-old partner Dawid W. lived. At the end of 2018, the remains of four newborns whose parents were the accused were found on Dawid W.'s property. The police were informed by social workers who were concerned about the lack of a baby at home, although they guessed that Aleksandra J. was pregnant.

“The first child was born in 2013. The last child, a girl, was born on November 30, 2018. The woman left the newborns in plastic bags. According to experts, in one case the child was strangled using an elastic material tied around the neck. She buried the first newborn on the property, she hid the remaining three in a disused furnace. The remains of the four defendants were found at the place of residence children – two girls and a boy. The gender of the fourth child could not be determined,” the prosecutor's office informed then.

In March 2020, the District Court in Opole sentenced both parents to life imprisonment. The defense of both defendants appealed against the non-final verdict. The case was brought to the Court of Appeal in Wrocław, which reduced the previously imposed penalties in April 2021. According to the final judgment, the mother was sentenced to 25 years in prison and the father to 15 years in prison. As reported in the media, in the case of the mother, the court took into account her mental condition, the influence of her partner, difficult life situation and the fear that her eldest child would be taken away from her.

Ziobro then spoke on the matter. “The mother strangled four of her own children just after birth. Their father encouraged her to commit murders. They kept the bodies of the newborns in the oven. These are extremely disgusting crimes. Despite this, the SA in Wrocław revoked the life sentences for the murderers. I have filed a cassation appeal against this outrageous verdict,” the then prosecutor said. general.

The Supreme Court, overturning the judgment regarding the penalty imposed on the woman, justified last year that the court of appeal, when reducing the penalty against J., omitted a broader reference to the very high degree of social harmfulness of an act characterized by “direct intention towards helpless and completely defenseless people”, the fact of the action repetitive and thoughtful, and the convict's lack of deeper reflection.

In turn, the 15-year prison sentence for the children's father then became final. The Supreme Court assumed in March 2023 that his role in the crimes was secondary and consisted of “mental assistance”. “This does not reduce the social harmfulness, but it influences the final assessment of the penalty,” the Supreme Court said then.

According to the court's findings, the man allegedly “accepted the fact that his partner was hiding all her pregnancies and not using medical care, thereby strengthening her intention to kill and agreeing to the death of the children.”

When reconsidering the woman's case, the Court of Appeal in Wrocław changed the sentence and sentenced her to life imprisonment.. She will be able to apply for early release after 30 years in prison.

“These four crimes took place in the following years. The decisions to murder subsequent children were well-thought-out decisions. The accused did not want children, her partner did not want them. In the following years, the accused did not consider options other than murder, there is no indication of this. She did not use doctor's help, she did not inform anyone, people asked her questions about her pregnancy, and the accused strongly denied that she was pregnant,” the SA explained at the time.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court shared this argument and dismissed the defense's cassation appeal as “obviously groundless.”

The woman pleaded guilty in this case. She said that she did it because she wanted to maintain her relationship with Dawid W., on whom she was – as she claimed – economically and emotionally dependent and with whom she already had a several-year-old son. Dawid W. pleaded not guilty. During the investigation, he assured that he knew nothing about his partner's pregnancies and the fate of their four children. However, among others The results of the lie detector tests he underwent showed that the man was deliberately trying to lie to the investigators.