Shashamane Court Sentences Maid to 25 Years in Prison for Killing Six-Month-Old Infant

The Shashamane City High Court has sentenced a young maid named Hiwot Daniel to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for the murder of a six-month-old infant named Na'ol Dammasaa. According to Deputy Prosecutor Wariyo Qaso, the incident occurred in the Birhaan area of Haroofa sub-city, Haleelu district. The defendant, who had been working for the victim's family for three years, initially claimed she accidentally suffocated the baby under clothes to silence his cries while she was on a phone call. However, an investigation involving Ethio Telecom proved that no phone call was made during the time of the incident, exposing her defense as a cover-up for an intentional crime stemming from a domestic dispute with the family. Shashamane City Women and Children's Affairs Prosecutor Baliyet Yosef confirmed that the family initially did not suspect the maid because she feigned grief, but raised suspicions a week after the burial. The body was subsequently exhumed 15 days later, and a forensic post-mortem examination conclusively verified that the infant died from intentional suffocation at her hands. Based on these findings and corroborating witness statements, the court convicted her under aggravated murder charges.