Crown cross-examines Granby stepmother accused of killing seven-year-old girl
WARNING: Details in this story are disturbing
The Crown began its cross-examination Tuesday of the Granby woman accused of killing her seven-year-old stepdaughter.
The prosecution spent a good portion of the day trying to establish the woman’s frame of mind in the days before the girl died.
The woman, who can’t be identified due to a publication ban, is facing charges of second-degree murder and illegal confinement. The 38-year-old woman is appearing at the Trois-Rivieres courthouse to face the charges.
Her stepmother testified Monday the child was restrained with packing tape after she had climbed out her bedroom window and tried to run away.
Under cross-examination, the stepmother insisted it was for child’s own good, saying “I didn’t see it as dangerous at the time… it was just to hold her until we could go see the child psychiatrist.”
The court has heard that the girl was left in her bedroom all night, bound with that tape around her shoulders, chest and legs.
Her stepmother has admitted she added more tape the next morning.
On the stand, though, she defended her actions, saying she was often alone to care for the girl and her own two son and that the girl would mutilate and punch herself.
“It was the only solution there was at that moment,” the stepmother testified as she cried. “I never thought she would die.”
The Crown asked if would not have been better to hold her in her arms, instead of tying her up.
“I didn’t know what to do,” the woman said.
The morning of April 29, 2017, the stepmother heard a noise and went to check on the girl. She wasn’t breathing and died in hospital the following day.
The case continues Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.