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
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.