Asunta Case: who were the unexpected heirs of the millionaire mother Rosario Porto?

Netflix, through its series “El Caso Asunta” (The Asunta Case), based on real events, has once again brought to the forefront the crime involving the first internationally adopted child in Galicia: Asunta Basterra Porto. Asunta was taken in by a wealthy family in Santiago de Compostela, consisting of Rosario Porto Ortega, the mother and inheritor of substantial wealth, a lawyer by profession, and Alfonso Basterra, the father, a journalist.

Both were sentenced to eighteen years in prison by the renowned judge José Antonio Vázquez Taín, who deemed them responsible for the murder of the young girl, allegedly administering the drug Lorazepam to her over several months. Basterra remains incarcerated serving his sentence, while the lawyer chose to end her life on 18 November 2020, by hanging herself with a sheet inside Brieva prison, in Ávila.

What was Asunta’s mother’s fortune?

Porto Ortega was the financial backbone of the family. Following in the footsteps of her father, Francisco, and her grandmother, Socorro, a university professor, she enjoyed a comfortable life and amassed a multi-million fortune, estimated at around three million euros (c.$3.23m), comprising cash in accounts and properties. This sum was diminished after funding her defense, yet remained substantial following her demise.

Aware of this, she prepared her will before the trial, wherein one of her childhood friends, María Teresa Sampedro Portas, known as “La Nena” (The Baby), emerged as a significant beneficiary, remaining loyal to her even after her death.

How was Asunta’s parents’ inheritance distributed?

Sampedro, who was already a friend of Porto Ortega’s, emerged as the most favored recipient of Rosario Porto’s legacy. Asunta’s mother sought to reward her in some manner for her unwavering support, especially when her entire social circle and family turned away from her following her conviction for the death of her daughter. Sampedro collected Asunta’s ashes, visited her mother in Galician prisons, and ceased doing so only when her transfer to Ávila coincided with the pandemic lockdown.

She also took care of the funeral expenses and burial in Santiago, at Boisaca, alongside her daughter. In her will, Rosario designated this woman and the lawyer Juan Guillán, who initially assisted her upon her arrest, as heirs, along with the defense attorney who later handled the case, José Luis Gutiérrez Aranguren, a distant cousin, and two supportive inmates from her time in Galicia.

The lawyers waived their share, while the cousin and fellow inmates did accept their portions, which included Socorro Ortega’s jewelry. Consequently, nearly all assets fell into Sampedro’s hands: the paintings, sculptures, cash from the accounts (approximately half a million euros), and the real estate properties.

There were four properties: the famous villa in Teo, where the young girl allegedly died, the grandparents’ apartment on General Pardiñas Street in Santiago, the larger one on Doctor Teixeiro Street shared by Asunta and her mother, and a beach residence in Vilanova de Arousa. By selling the first apartment, the heiress settled the corresponding estate taxes, and she recently put the other one up for rent. She enjoys the summer house with her family, but the Teo estate poses challenges as she has been unable to sell it, and although it was occupied for a time, it is now in poor condition.