Ikram Benhadi and her husband Mamoun moved from Morocco to the Aragonese capital, where they opened a modest shoe repair shop. Mamoun soon earned a local reputation for his skilled craftsmanship, quietly masking a darker thread—one shaped by illness, grief, and fear of what might be possible. The family never anticipated that a quiet, reserved 27-year-old could become the focal point of suspicions about deaths connected to a single tragedy that echoed with a chilling belief: the house could be haunted, and demons might inhabit infants.
The first death occurred in 2011, and it was not until November 21, 2014, that tragedy reached the health center with the tiny body of Marwa. Investigators from Homicide Group I of the Aragon Superior Police traced a pattern across several cases after reviewing medical histories. A third girl, Riham, was saved only because social services intervened. Medical reports in these cases described three infants under three months with hypotonia, poor coloration, vomiting, and traces of blood in the mouth.
As a cultural mediator arrived, the case took a new direction. Before social services stepped in, a woman named Amina Kaman met Ikram and the rest of the family at the residence on 19 Florián Rey Street, near the clinic where Marwa had died. During their interview with the mediator, a troubling claim emerged: the house had become demonized and could affect the girls. The mediator noted that Berber rituals do not form part of Islam and suggested listening to CDs and reciting portions of the Qur’an to drive out supposed demons. There was also a proposal that if housing was the root issue, the family might consider staying with a relative. Yet the family allegedly refused to leave the girls with Ikram, a response that underscored a failure to coordinate effectively with social services. Some even contemplated returning to northern Morocco to perform an exorcism, a line of thought reminiscent of a 1990 Almansa case where a child died amid possession beliefs.
In communities where beliefs about spirits are strong, such as those invoking djinn, exorcism rites can be sought when someone is perceived as possessed. The practice may include reciting Qur’anic verses, including Surah Baqarah, and other rituals meant to shield a person from spiritual intrusion. In this family’s narrative, spiritual intervention sits alongside medical examinations and social services inquiries, creating a complex web of cultural, religious, and procedural responses.
Authorities described a modus operandi where household dynamics appeared to influence care and observation. It seemed to matter little whether Ikram was alone or accompanied by her husband, her mother-in-law Necma, or her sister-in-law Sureyya; they were often present during feeding times, while various rituals were said to occur to prevent perceived demonic interference. Some accounts suggested that respiratory difficulties in the infants could be linked to patterns of suffocation or other breathing problems, though evidence varied and investigators pursued multiple hypotheses.
Autopsies of Marwa showed death by asphyxial shock, described by investigators as a form of mechanical drowning within the clinical context. Similarities were noted with Sara, the first infant who died, though an autopsy could not be performed due to the elapsed time. Medical teams documented a consistent set of symptoms: severe breathing difficulties, changes in skin color, vomiting, and, in some cases, traces of blood in the mouth. The Aragon Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences compared the evidence across cases, highlighting patterns that prompted closer scrutiny of every detail in clinical histories.
During a 2016 court hearing in Zaragoza, Ikram described the charges as barbaric. She shared a deeply personal account, insisting she loved her daughters and endured months of fainting, vomiting, and bleeding during pregnancy, arguing she could not possibly harm them. She recounted numerous doctor visits and hospitalizations as each child fell ill, insisting illnesses began at birth and persisted in medical facilities. She spoke of episodes where the children appeared pale, lips turning blue, and episodes of vomiting, describing her experiences with vivid detail.
Relatives corroborated parts of her account, describing several incidents of drowning occurring without Ikram’s presence and recalling attempts to feed, bathe, and care for a baby while Ikram attended to other tasks. Health workers, however, observed patterns that did not neatly align with the family’s version. They noted a sequence of troubling events when Ikram was alone with the infants, including pacifiers found after being placed in empty boxes before being given to the babies. Such details intensified investigators’ questions and led to extended hospital monitoring, including periods in intensive care units to safeguard the infants.
As cases of death and hospitalization were reviewed, prosecutors sought a lengthy sentence, pushing for substantial prison time. The provincial court delivered a different judgment, ultimately convicting Ikram of Marwa’s murder and signaling the possibility that similar acts could have occurred in the other cases, though the evidence did not provide a definitive conclusion. The Supreme Court revisited the matter, acknowledging that while psychological and anthropological perspectives offered insight, they did not resolve the central questions. The court noted that the exact reasons behind the daughter’s death remained unclear, while affirming the perceived culpability tied to the dying child and acknowledging the broader context in which these events unfolded.
Attributions and evidence in this case highlight the delicate balance between cultural beliefs, medical science, and the legal system. The narrative reflects how communities navigate illness, fear, and the responsibilities of care within a framework of social services and judicial scrutiny, and it underscores how investigators must weigh diverse explanations when infants’ lives are at stake. The outcome demonstrates the complexity of proving intent in a setting where cultural interpretations of illness and possession intersect with modern medical and legal standards, and it remains a stark reminder of the intersection between belief and reality in safeguarding vulnerable children. [Source: Aragon Superior Police, Forensic Institute records, and court proceedings; summaries updated for this report.]