by Trish Austin

Created on: March 28, 2010   Last Updated: March 30, 2010

It's a crime that's nature is incomprehensible and heart wrenching. In one of the worst cases of infanticide a 38 year old  French woman, Celine Lesagea,  was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing six of her newborn children over the course of 7 years on March 18, 2010. She was charged with aggravated voluntary homicide and could have been sentenced to life in prison.

She was arrested in 2007. Her boyfriend, Luc Marqueritte, father of the last newborn she killed, found them with the help of Lesagea's 14 year old son  in the basement of their small apartment. Other sources, report that Marqueritte  was led to the bodies because of the stench. Then, Marqueritte called the authorities.

Lesagea's former boyfriend, Pascal Catherine, and father of five of the six babies was originally charged in 2007 as an accomplice. But, he was cleared of all wrong doing. He was convinced that the babies were still born, so all charges were dropped.

Four of the babies were smothered. The other two were strangled with tiny cords. Lesagea claimed she did no pre planning. However, before giving birth, she admitted in the courtroom in Normandy that as she gave birth in bed, she had cords and plastic bags by her side.

She also told the court that she killed the babies. She openly admitted what she had done. Under questioning she said," Yes I killed my babies" then bursting into tears " I did it... but I can't explain it."

After killing the newborns, she placed them in plastic bags. Took them downstairs to the basement and hid the bodies under dirty laundry in bins.

The defense never mentioned mental illness. The guilt of the serial killer was never in question. She openly admitted in court she killed six live children. This is not the America. But, one has to wonder.

How can a serial killer manage to receive such a light sentence for such a heinous crime? Would it have been different if she had been a man? Would it have been different tried in an American courtroom?

What about the 14 year old son? What's to become of him? Hardly any of the sources even mentioned the son and his well-being. Nowhere did it say that he was with family members. Nothing. How does one grow up normally knowing your mother killed your six siblings?

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