French Mother Sentenced to 30 Years for Double Infanticide in 2022

Ingride Jesus Van Der Kellen, a former researcher, was convicted of killing her two young children and assaulting her partner in a tragic case that raised questions about her mental state and motives.

Ingride Jesus Van Der Kellen, 37, was sentenced to 30 years in prison with a 15-year minimum term for the murders of her two children, aged nine months and two-and-a-half years, in February 2022 near Nancy, France.
The court rejected claims of diminished responsibility, with conflicting psychiatric evaluations presented during the trial regarding her mental state at the time of the killings.
Prosecutors argued that the crimes were premeditated and motivated by a desire to harm her partner, who had announced plans to leave her due to her alcoholism.
Van Der Kellen expressed remorse during the trial, stating she loved her children and could not comprehend her actions, while her defense highlighted her psychological fragility and repeated suicide attempts since her arrest.
The sentence was less severe than the life imprisonment with a 22-year minimum term sought by prosecutors, who described the case as exceptionally grave given the nature of the crimes.