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| Roula Pispirigou: Life sentence for Georgina's murder |
The 35-year-old has been unanimously convicted of manslaughter with premeditation while in a calm state of mind.
Roula Pispirigou has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the attempted murder and murder of her daughter, Georgina. The decision was reached unanimously.
Following a lengthy trial spanning approximately 16 months, the Mixed Jury Court of Athens declared her guilt without dissent. Additionally, Pispirigou was found guilty of attempting to murder her child on April 11, 2021.
The court endorsed the prosecutor's proposal, made during a session on January 25, to hold the accused mother accountable for both offenses.
Under the charge of attempted murder, the 35-year-old mother from Patras allegedly sought to end her newborn daughter's life at Karamandane Hospital in Patras, resulting in the child becoming quadriplegic. Subsequently, according to the court-accepted indictment, the defendant terminated her child's life at the "Panagiotis and Aglaia Kyriakou" Children's Hospital by administering a lethal dose of ketamine.
The court unanimously dismissed the defendant's pending requests, such as the production of the Children's ICU resuscitation bag and further genetic testing.
Furthermore, the court unanimously decided against granting the defense's requests to transfer the trial proceedings to the prosecution, aiming to prosecute Manos Daskalakis and some of the medical witness doctors for alleged false testimony. The district attorney had previously proposed a similar course of action. After the verdict was delivered, the presiding judge informed the accused of her right to appeal, to which Pispirigou responded, "I have already appealed."
Meanwhile, the prosecutor had sought a life sentence for Pispirigou. In her submission to the court, she emphasized that according to legal precedent, only life imprisonment is applicable in such cases, leaving no room for alternative penalties.
Alexis Kougias, the defense attorney, stated that he would not seek leniency for his client.
"I was taken aback by the verdict; it represents a significant judicial scandal and a miscarriage of justice. While unexpected, we must respect the judiciary... I firmly believe in her innocence, and I am confident we will prevail in the appellate process... We opted not to pursue mitigating circumstances in solidarity with the accused, choosing to reject any penalty... Our fight continues in the higher courts," Mr. Kougias remarked, among other statements.
