The True Story Behind Netflix's The Asunta Case

Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.

Summary Asunta Basterra's tragic murder led to the arrest of her adoptive parents on suspicion of her death.

Alfonso Basterra and Rosario Porto were convicted based on inconsistencies in their stories and damning evidence revealed during the trial.

Basterra and Porto were each sentenced to 18 years in prison for Asunta's murder, with Porto dying by suicide in 2020 while Basterra is still serving his sentence.

The Asunta Case chronicles the disappearance and tragic murder of Asunta Basterra and the subsequent investigation into her death and sentencing of the young girl's killers. The 2024 Spanish crime thriller limited series, created by Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Jon de la Cuesta, and David Orea Arribas, is inspired by the real-life case of the killing of Basterra, which captured the attention of people from across the world. The horrific details of the murder, the events leading up to it, and the shocking suspects garnered widespread coverage, and now, a Netflix true crime miniseries.

As of April 26, 2024, all six episodes of The Asunta Case are available to stream on Netflix.

The cast of The Asunta Case includes Candela Peña as Rosario Porto, Tristán Ulloa as Alfonso Basterra, Iris Whu as Asunta, Javier Gutiérrez as Malvar, Carlos Blanco as Ríos, and María León as Cristina Cruces. The majority of characters in the Netflix crime thriller show are based on real people, including Peña's Rosario Porto and Ulloa's Alfonso Basterra — Asunta's adoptive parents. They played a significant role in the real-life case, so, The Asunta Case primarily focused on Peña and Ulloa's characters.

What Happened To The Real Asunta Basterra

Asunta Basterra's Body Was Found On September 22, 2013

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According to Forbes, Rosario Porto and Alfonso Basterra, an affluent married couple from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, adopted a baby from China in 2001 — Asunta Fong Yang. Everything seemed to be going great for the family as Asunta grew up to be gifted in school, ballet, piano, and more. However, in early 2013, Basterra discovered that Porto was having an affair, and they divorced. Porto, who had a history of mental health problems, had to be hospitalized in June 2013 after having a mental breakdown. Then, on September 21 of the same year, Porto and Basterra reported their 12-year-old daughter missing.

On September 24, 2013, just two days after Asunta Basterra's body was found, the police arrested Rosario Porto on suspicion that she had murdered her adoptive daughter.

In the early hours of September 22, two people discovered Asunta's dead body on the side of a road and informed the police. Following an autopsy, the coroner concluded Asunta had died of asphyxiation and had ingested 27 lorazepam pills the day of her murder, the same medication Porto had to treat her anxiety. The coroner also discovered that Asunta had (unwillingly) taken around 170 lorazepam pills over the 10 weeks leading up to her death. The autopsy, along with other pieces of evidence, led to Porto's arrest at Asunta's funeral, as depicted in the true crime television show on Netflix.

Related The Best True Crime Documentaries On Hulu The best true crime documentaries on Hulu present unique looks at some of the most mysterious, unbelievable, and disturbing crimes.

Who Killed Asunta Basterra

Police Suspected Asunta's Adoptive Parents

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On September 24, 2013, just two days after Asunta Basterra's body was found, the police arrested Rosario Porto on suspicion that she had murdered her adoptive daughter. Porto had previously claimed that she had left Asunta in their apartment to visit the family's country house (located not too far from where Asunta's body was discovered) at 7:00 pm. She claimed that she returned at 9:30 pm and Asunta was nowhere to be found. However, the police obtained CCTV footage showing Porto driving toward the country house with Asunta in the passenger's seat (when Asunta was said to be home).

After the police confronted Porto about the CCTV footage, the woman changed her story and claimed she briefly took Asunta to the country home before returning her to the apartment.

Porto's lies, the CCTV footage, the lorazepam pills, and the presence of orange twine at the country home that was similar to the twine Asunta had been tied up with resulted in Porto's arrest. One day later, the police also arrested Alfonso Basterra as they didn't believe Porto could commit the murder by herself. Plus, per TODAY, it was revealed that Basterra's computer had more than 500,000 files that had been "deleted, including videos and images of a sexual nature," which certainly didn't help the divorced couple's case, as seen in The Asunta Case (one of many Netflix true crime shows).

Why Alfonso Basterra & Rosario Porto Were Found Guilty Of Asunta's Murder

The Police Acquired Enough Evidence To Convict Basterra & Porto

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Almost two years following Alfonso Basterra and Rosario Porto's arrests in September 2013, the adoptive parents of Asunta Basterra were found guilty of the 12-year-old's murder on October 30, 2015. The divorced couple's inability to get their stories straight or convey a plausible excuse for why Porto lied about her actions on the day of Asunta's murder was brought up during the trial. Their lies, along with the young girl's autopsy (including the outrageous amount of lorazepam pills in her system) and other testimonies sealed Basterra and Porto's fates.

Basterra and Porto would likely have gotten bigger sentences if the case occurred following the new Spanish law that hands out life sentences for those who murder children.

One of Asunta's friends testified that she had seen Asunta with Basterra the day she was killed, leading many to believe that he was hiding in the car, explaining why he couldn't be seen in the CCTV footage. Additionally, Asunta's teachers revealed that she had been acting strangely in the months leading up to her death (likely due to the lorazepam pills). Asunta reportedly told one of her teachers, "I don't know what they are giving me. No one tells me the truth." All this information implicated Basterra and Porto in Asunta's murder and resulted in their conviction.

Alfonso Basterra & Rosario Porto's Sentencing Explained

Basterra & Porto Each Received 18-Year Sentences

Following Alfonso Basterra and Rosario Porto's conviction in October 2015, they were both sentenced to spend 18 years in prison for the murder of their adoptive daughter. Basterra and Porto would likely have gotten bigger sentences if the case occurred following the new Spanish law that hands out life sentences for those who murder children. They both reportedly tried to appeal to have their convictions overturned (since they maintained their innocence), which were ultimately dismissed.

Following the discovery of Asunta Basterra's body and the subsequent arrests of her adoptive parents, the case received a lot of attention from the media and public due to its nature.

On November 18, 2020, Porto was found unresponsive in her cell as she had died by suicide. Porto had attempted suicide in prison a few times prior to her death. Meanwhile, Basterra is still carrying out his sentence at Teixeiro Prison in Spain.

Related 10 Fascinating True Crime Shows About Lesser-Known Cases There are tons of popular documentary series about famous killers and crooks, but these true-crime shows on lesser-known cases are also worth viewing.

Why Asunta Basterra's Death Had So Much Media Attention

The Case Received Worldwide Interest

Following the discovery of Asunta Basterra's body and the subsequent arrests of her adoptive parents, the case received a lot of attention from the media and public due to its nature. The murder of a 12-year-old girl is tragic in and of itself, but the fact that her parents were the ones behind her death shocked many. So, not only did the case (as depicted in The Astuna Case on Netflix) attract more media coverage in Spain than any other crime, but it also captured the attention of people from around the world.

The Asunta Case Episode # Episode Title Director Writers 1 "September 21" Carlos Sedes Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Jon de la Cuesta, and David Orea Arribas 2 "September 24" Carlos Sedes Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Jon de la Cuesta, and David Orea Arribas 3 "September 26" Jacobo Martínez Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Jon de la Cuesta, and David Orea Arribas 4 "September 28" Jacobo Martínez Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Jon de la Cuesta, and David Orea Arribas 5 "24 Hours" Carlos Sedes Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Jon de la Cuesta, and David Orea Arribas 6 "The Trial" Carlos Sedes Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Jon de la Cuesta, and David Orea Arribas

The Asunta Case (2024) Cast Tristan Ulloa , Javier Gutierrez , Raul Arévalo , Candela Pena , María León , Francesc Orella , Alicia Borrachero , Ricardo de Barreiro Release Date April 26, 2024 Seasons 1 Creator(s) Ramón Campos , Jon de la Cuesta , Gema R. Neira

Sources: Forbes, TODAY