Argentine Nurse gets life sentence for killing five newborns

An Argentine nurse, Brenda Cecilia Aguero, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of five newborn babies and the attempted murder of eight others at a hospital in Cordoba province.

The crimes occurred between March and June 2022 at the Maternal and Child Hospital, located about 600 kilometres from Buenos Aires.

According to prosecutors, Aguero injected the infants with dangerous doses of potassium and insulin, which she secretly took from emergency medical carts that lacked proper inventory control. Her actions led to the sudden deaths of healthy babies under initially unexplained circumstances, while swift medical responses saved eight other infants from death.

Under Argentine law, Aguero will not be eligible for parole until she has served at least 35 years in prison. The sentencing was read out in court on Wednesday and broadcast by local media.

The high-profile case also implicated 10 other individuals, including Cordoba’s former health minister, the former secretary of health, and the hospital’s ex-director. They faced charges ranging from covering up the crimes to negligence in their official duties.

While five of the co-defendants were convicted and handed lesser sentences, the remaining five — including the top provincial officials — were acquitted. Aguero, who was arrested in 2022, consistently denied her involvement in the killings, claiming there was no evidence against her and accusing the media of wrongfully branding her a serial killer.

The tragic incident has deeply shocked Argentina, highlighting critical lapses in hospital safety protocols and oversight within the province’s healthcare system.