Rosie Alfaro

Maria del Rosio "Rosie" Alfaro (born October 12, 1971) is an American woman convicted of the 1990 murder of 9-year-old Autumn Wallace in Anaheim, California. She is currently on California's death row.

Early life Alfaro was raised in Anaheim, California. She became addicted to drugs at age 13 and began working as a prostitute at 14. She had her first child at age 15 and had four children at age 18. At age 20, Alfaro became the first woman in Orange County, California to receive a death penalty sentence.

Murder of Autumn Wallace On June 15, 1990, 9-year-old Autumn Wallace (born January 15, 1981) was home by herself in Anaheim, California; she was waiting for her older sister and mother to return home from work. Alfaro, who was 18 at the time, knew the Wallace family very well and was friendly with one of the older daughters. She thought that they were out, and that she would be able to steal items from the home to sell in order to purchase drugs.

Autumn, who knew Alfaro as a friend of her sister, opened the door for Alfaro, who asked to use the bathroom. Alfaro took a knife from the kitchen before proceeding to the bathroom, located at the back of the house. She then coaxed Autumn into the bathroom on a ruse, and stabbed her 57 times. Alfaro then raided the house for something to steal, supposedly to acquire drug money. The stolen property was later sold for $240.

Alfaro confessed to the crime during a police-taped interview, stating she was high on heroin and cocaine (never proven since she was not arrested and drug tested within the 36 to 48 hours of the murder) when she stabbed Autumn. Later she changed her story and alleged an unidentified man forced her to stab the little girl. Still later, Alfaro told police that two men drove her to the Wallace home, and one of the men entered the house and forced her to kill Autumn. She refused to identify the man. The evidence from the crime scene only indicated that members of the Wallace family and Alfaro (based on her fingerprints and a matched bloodstained shoe print) were present in the home that day.

Sentencing She was tried and convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances. At the end of the penalty phase of the trial, the jury deadlocked 10–2 on the sentence of death. The penalty phase of the trial was then declared a mistrial. A second jury returned a verdict of death. The trial judge upheld the jury's verdict and sentenced Alfaro to death.