17-month-old hurled out of Vitoria apartment window dies in hospital

A 17-month-old child who was hurled out of an apartment window in the Basque capital of Vitoria on Sunday night has died in hospital, authorities reported.

Young Alicia sustained serious head injuries after falling five meters down on to the sidewalk from a first-floor home.

“I gave my daughter this stuffed toy when she was five months old. She now has two children of her own. Today we are giving it to Alicia, God rest her soul” 

A 30-year-old Seville man was arrested and charged with attempted murder after allegedly sending the child crashing through the window.

A saxophone teacher at the local conservatory, the suspect had previously had a loud argument with the mother, an 18-year-old from Brazil who has also been hospitalized. The attacker had allegedly tried to throw her out the window as well, and faces a second count of attempted murder. Following the child’s death, the first charge will be reviewed.

“If the little girl were to die, the penalties will increase and we will have to see whether the new permanent prison penalty is applicable, because it was recently introduced,” the Basque Country’s chief prosecutor, Juan Calparsoro, had said before news of the child’s death was released.

The mother told Basque police that she met the suspect on Sunday night and took him home. At around 3.30am, she woke up and realized that neither the man nor her child were in the room. She then said that she went into a different room and found the man sexually molesting the child. A fight erupted, which the neighbors have testified to.

It was the neighbors who called the Ertzaintza Basque regional police after hearing the screams and blows coming out of the apartment, located on Libertad street. When a patrol car arrived at the scene, officers found the child lying on the sidewalk in a pool of blood.

On Monday thousands of people marched in Vitoria to show support for the mother, who has been offered assistance by provincial social services. As news of the death emerged, people began creating a makeshift shrine outside the victim’s door, leaving stuffed animals and messages for little Alicia.

“I gave my daughter this stuffed toy when she was five months old,” said one of the building residents, holding back tears. “She now has two children of her own. Today we are giving it to Alicia, God rest her soul.”

The suspect remains under observation at the psychiatric unit of Santiago Hospital.

English version by Susana Urra.