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Jury Deliberates After Prosecutor Seeks 18 Years in Bordeaux Double Infanticide Trial

Expert reports state her discernment was impaired, leaving her criminally liable.

Overview

  • Prosecutors requested an 18‑year prison term plus seven years of socio‑judicial supervision with mandatory treatment, with a five‑year sentence if the measures are breached.
  • Jennifer Bertrand acknowledged placing each twin’s doudou over her face and pressing with her hand for about a minute to ‘calm’ them, while denying an intent to kill.
  • Forensic examiners concluded both deaths resulted from airway obstruction, noting characteristic signs of asphyxia; one infant died at home and the other at CHU Bordeaux hours later.
  • Court‑appointed psychiatrists testified that her judgment was altered but not abolished during a severe postpartum depressive episode; a defense‑cited expert argued for puerperal psychosis.
  • The case record describes recent psychiatric hospitalization, heavy medication, social isolation, and investigators’ findings of internet searches on sudden infant death and infant positioning before the events.