Trial begins for Granby woman accused of killing seven-year-old stepdaughter
WARNING: This story contains details some may find distressing
The trial of a Granby, Que. woman accused of killing her stepdaughter two years ago opened Monday morning at the Trois-Rivieres courthouse.
The 14 members of the jury heard a frantic 911 call from the apartment where the seven-year-old lived. The caller urged the operator to send an ambulance, and said the girl wasn’t breathing and had no heartbeat.
A paramedic gave the caller instructions on how to give CPR until a police officer eventually arrived and took over, but the little girl was then taken to hospital where she died the following day.
In his opening statement, the prosecutor said the stepmother was charged with second-degree murder and says that she wrapped her stepdaughter in adhesive tape.
The first witness was the first police officer on the scene, who told the court he was surprised by what he saw. The girl was emaciated and had bruises on her legs, thighs, upper body, her arms and hands. Her body was also unusually hot, he said.
The second officer on the scene said she, too, remarked how thin the girl was. The room she was in was dark, the windows were covered, and the furniture was piled up against the wall.
It was macabre, she told the jury, while holding back her tears.
The jury was shown photos of discarded adhesive tape and scissors next to the victim’s body.
The prosecution said it plans to call at least 20 witnesses throughout the trial, which was moved from Granby to Trois-Rivières at the request of the defence.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.