Juan Francisco L.S., the father accused of murdering his infant daughter in Fuerteventura in April 2023, faces a potential life imprisonment sentence as the trial begins.

He allegedly shook the baby after administering cocaine and alcohol.

This incident follows a prior conviction for drugging another child, who was just nine months old at the time of the offense, six months earlier.

On the day of the alleged murder, the defendant reportedly told his partner that their daughter had become unresponsive after crying for an extended period.

Voice messages disclosed in court revealed his distress, with the accused expressing frustration at the child's behavior.

Brenda J.R.B., the child's mother, faces charges of family abandonment, with a six-month prison sentence being sought for her role in the alleged neglect of the child, who was found in a distressed state at the time of her death.

Both parents had prior issues with substance abuse.

During the trial, prosecutor Carmen Julia González presented evidence from a prior verdict against the couple for severe drug-related intoxication of one of their other children.

This previous ruling, although not final, is part of the evidence being used to establish a pattern of behavior leading to the current allegations.

The prosecution contends that both parents failed in their duties to care for their children effectively and that the infant's death was not merely an unfortunate accident but rather the result of neglect stemming from their substance abuse.

González emphasized to the jury that the baby died due to suffocation caused by her own blood and detailed various signs of neglect, including an advanced stage of diaper rash and an overall state of filth noted on her body.

Medical personnel who attended to the child reported that she was already deceased upon arrival at the health center and could not be resuscitated.

The autopsy findings indicated the presence of cocaine and alcohol in the infant's system, further exacerbating the seriousness of the charges against the parents.

Brenda’s defense attorney contended that she was devoted to her children and worked long hours to support them, arguing that she could not have possibly abandoned her child.

Conversely, the defense for Juan Francisco sought his acquittal from the homicide charges, asserting that he is not the malicious figure portrayed by the prosecution and highlighting his position as a coordinator at a children's center since 2020 without incidents of aggression or abuse prior to these events.

The case has raised significant public interest due to the tragic nature of the events and the prior history of neglect involving their other children, who were immediately removed from the parents' custody following the baby's death.