Supreme Court won't hear appeal of decision granting Quebec woman who killed her daughters third murder trial
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear an appeal of a decision that ordered a third trial for a woman who has twice been convicted of killing her two daughters.
The Crown had been seeking leave to appeal a Quebec Court of Appeal decision that overturned Adèle Sorella's 2019 second-degree murder conviction in the deaths of her daughters, Amanda and Sabrina.
Sorella was first convicted in 2013 of first-degree murder in the deaths of the girls, who were eight and nine years old, but that ruling was overturned on appeal in 2017.
At her second trial in 2019, a jury convicted her on two counts of second-degree murder, but that decision was overturned in March after the Appeal Court faulted the trial judge for refusing to accept an argument that organized crime could have played a part in the deaths.
The Supreme Court did not give a reason for dismissing the appeal Thursday, as is customary.
The Quebec Crown prosecutor's office confirmed that a third murder trial will take place, likely between September and December 2023. The case returns to court Oct. 21 to determine the next steps before trial, prosecutor Audrey Roy-Cloutier said in an email.=
The girls were found dead in their playroom on March 31, 2009. Their bodies bore no signs of violence and the cause of their death has never been determined. Sorella's husband and the girls' father was Giuseppe De Vito, a man with ties to organized crime who died in prison in 2013 after being poisoned.
Sorella had been granted bail in July 2020 while awaiting the outcome of her appeal.
During the previous trial, she pleaded not guilty due to a mental disorder.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.