A 33-year-old woman, Vivian Cortinez Aguilar, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of attempted homicide for attempting to strangle her 7-year-old daughter.

The ruling was issued on Monday by the Penal Court of Cartago, following a case that drew national attention due to its severity and circumstances.

The incident occurred on August 14, 2019, in San Juan de La Unión, where Cortinez lived with her daughter, a baby, and her partner, who is under investigation for alleged sexual abuse of the same child.

The court determined that Cortinez attempted to kill her daughter by applying pressure to the child's neck, despite the girl's pleas for her to stop.

Medical reports indicated that the child suffered from muscle tone loss, lack of oxygen, and bleeding in the eyes as a result of the assault.

During the trial, Cortinez's lawyer, Erick Núñez, acknowledged the aggression but argued that the act should be classified as a simple injury rather than attempted murder.

Judge Alejandra Rojas Calvo pointed out the clear medical evidence that suggested Cortinez put her daughter’s life at risk, undermining the defense's claims that the intent was merely to injure.

The judge noted the lack of explanation from Cortinez regarding her actions during the trial and described her demeanor as aggressive, highlighting that she had been declared in contempt for missing one of the hearings.

The victim testified that she had begged her mother, saying, "Mommy, I love you, why are you doing this to me?" The court found no credible reason to discredit this testimony, emphasizing that the child had no motivation to lie.

The prosecution, led by Jorge Meckbell Guillén, had requested a longer sentence, citing that Cortinez had previously taken her daughter out of school to bring her to a bunker to purchase drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, which she consumed with her partner.

After Cortinez's arrest, her two children were placed in the care of their maternal grandmother.