MONTREAL — A 28-year-old woman from Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, north of Montreal, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for causing the deaths of three of her newborns.
With time served, there are about five years for her to serve.
She had originally been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the killings of the three newborns, but in July, pleaded guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter.
She also pleaded guilty to two counts of concealing the body of a child and one count of failing to provide the necessities of life for a fourth child who is still alive.
Her sentence was determined under a joint recommendation made by the defence and prosecution.
“We took the time to meet with them [the family], to understand them and to hear their emotions, to hear what they’re feeling because we have understand that regardless of the law, they lost babies,” said Crown prosecutor Caroline Lafleur.
"It was done very professionally on the basis of the proof after the preliminary hearing and I'm very satisfied with the results," said defence lawyer Julien Archambault.
She was first arrested in 2017 after she went to a hospital in St-Eustache complaining of pain.
Doctors, having realized that the woman had recently given birth, questioned her about where the newborn was. She denied she had given birth and refused to provide any information.
Police later found the body of a newborn, and a subsequent search of her home uncovered the bodies of two other newborns from two other pregnancies.
Police say they believe the three babies’ deaths occurred between 2014 and 2017.
The woman cannot be identified in order to protect the identity of the living child.
Family reveals woman's web of lies
The case also revealed that the woman built a web of lies around her since childhood, and spared nobody – not even her partner, who testified that he was not even aware that his girlfriend was pregnant.
Relatives gave powerful victim impact statements to the judge, which focused on the psychological impact on the couple's five-year-old daughter.
"My biggest fear now is the day you will be released, knowing that you will spread your poison again," the child's grandmother told the court.
The girl's father directed anger towards his ex, and it was so strong that at one point the judge needed to interrupt him.
"She's not violent or abusive, she's worse than that; she's a liar and a manipulator," he said.
Experts said it's unclear if the woman will benefit from any psychological help while she's in prison.
- With files form CTV News Montreal's Stephane Giroux
