Couple Sentenced to 17 Years Each for Infant Deaths and Burial in Croatia

A Croatian couple has been handed down a 17-year prison sentence each for the deaths and subsequent burial of their two infants. The verdict comes a year and a half after the shocking discovery of the babies' bodies buried in the yard of their family home near Novi Marof.

The County Court in Varaždin determined that the parents were guilty of gross neglect towards their three children, which tragically resulted in the deaths of the two infants. Judge Igor Pavlic explained that the sentences were based on convictions for three criminal offenses each, with penalties ranging from two to nine years per offense, culminating in a unified sentence of 17 years for each parent.

"They are not accused of intentionally killing the children or consenting to their deaths, but rather of neglecting them with the consequence of death," Pavlic clarified. He added that the sentences fall within the legal framework, considering the degree of guilt and any mitigating or aggravating circumstances.

During the legal proceedings, the mother became pregnant again and gave birth to another child while in pretrial detention. Child protective services promptly intervened after the birth, removing the child from the parents' custody. The parents, who reportedly lived by specific religious rules and did not register their children or seek medical attention for them, still have the right to appeal the non-final verdict.