The Asunta Case’: Officer who arrested Rosario gives exclusive interview: “We knew right away she was guilty”

Netflix’s new series, The Asunta Case, has brought one of Spain’s murders to an international audience. It dramatises the tragic murder of 12-year-old Asunta Basterra Porto in 2013. Asunta was adopted from China by her affluent parents, Rosario Porto and Alfonso Basterra, in 2001. However, in 2013, Asunta’s body was found on the side of a road, and an investigation revealed that her parents had drugged and strangled her.

Despite their claims of innocence, Rosario and Alfonso were convicted of Asunta’s murder in 2015 and sentenced to 18 years in prison. The series explores the complex circumstances surrounding the case, including the couple’s troubled relationship, financial motives, and the evidence that led to their conviction.

The success of the Netflix series has brought the case back to the media, finding more testimonies from people who dealt with both Rosario Porto and Alfonso Basterra, as well as some of those involved in the investigation. Begoña Rodríguez, the judicial agent of the Civil Guard in charge of arresting Asunta’s mother, is one of them.

In an interview with Spanish media, Begoña Rodríguez remembers the investigation, in addition to revealing some of her conversations with the Galician woman.

“In a homicide team, [Rodriguez] was the only woman, Rosario opened up to her in an extraordinary way”, one of the contributors said.

The story of Begoña Rodríguez

“I saw Rosario Porto for the first time at her house, the first day we started working (...) I was affected. There was a couple who were friends of hers, Alfonso and Asunta’s godmother. It seemed like they were upset,” recalls Rodriguez.

“The colleagues who attended the removal of the body and I always found it curious how the victim was positioned. We assumed it could be someone close to the girl,” he adds.

Begoña Rodríguez admits that, when they obtained more information, “we had no doubt, as police officers, even though [Rosario] told us that we were making a mistake.”

After the arrest, Rosario Porto confessed to the agent that she had a relationship with a man who was not Alfonso Basterra: “She had a relationship with a man with whom she was very excited. He talked about it a lot because it made him feel good (...) Rosario didn’t show surprise, he said that we were making a mistake, but also... He had a fairly calm reaction.’’

“Alfonso Basterra was her life, taking the girl to all the activities, making food, shopping for her, managing all the domestic matters...”, Begoña Rodríguez also explains.