Children: The Silenced Citizens
The Senate Committee on Human Rights has released a report entitled "Children:
The Silenced Citizens" condemning Canada's failure to fully implement the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which Canada ratified
in 1991.
"Parent-child murders increasingly rare
"Not an epidemic: High-profiles cases are not evidence of a growing trend, statistics show"
The National Post
March
16, 2002
At first glance, it appears North America is suffering an epidemic of child murder.
This week, as Texas mother Andrea Pia Yates was convicted of drowning her five children, RCMP officers began their grim search for the remains of six Vancouver Island children who died in a suspicious house fire. Their father was charged yesterday with six counts of first-degree murder. Two days later, the search for Toronto two-year-old Alexis Currie ended when her father led police searchers to her body. The same day, a Smiths Falls, Ont., father was charged with killing his daughter.
Yet appearances can be deceptive. The truth is such tragedies are increasingly rare.
In 2000, according to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 27 children died at the hands of their parents. The number was the same in 1975 when Canada's population was only 23 million -- 30% smaller than it is today. More..
Infanticide and mothers who kill their children
2003 Child murder statistics
There were 33 homicides committed against children under the age of 12 in 2003, the lowest number in over 25 years. Of these victims, 14 (or 42%) were under one year of age.
Of the 27 solved homicides against children, 23 were killed by a parent: 9 by a father, 4 by a step-father, 10 by a mother and 1 by a step-mother (in one incident, both parents were accused). In addition, 2 children were killed by their day-care provider and 2 by a stranger.
Considering Canada's population of 33 million people, there are, thankfully, very few children murdered.
Mother found guilty of drowning autistic daughter
The Toronto Star, March 01, 2008, By Peter Small, Courts Bureau
Xuan (Linda) Peng has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the drowning death of her 4-year-old autistic daughter Scarlett in a bathtub in the family home.
A Superior Court jury returned its verdict Saturday morning after two days of deliberations. More..
N.B. woman ruled responsible in burning of baby's body
The Canadian Press, various newspapers and media throughout Canada, February 8, 2008
ST. STEPHEN, N.B. — A New Brunswick judge says a woman who burned and dismembered her newborn son is criminally responsible for her actions. more..
Person of interest indentified in discovery of dead baby
CBC News, Friday, April 18, 2008
Police have identified a "person of interest" in the discovery of the body of a baby boy dumped outside Edmonton, RCMP said Friday.
A man walking his dog west of Edmonton discovered the body of a dead baby in this wooded area Wednesday morning. More..
Woman hired hit squad to murder baby
Associated Press, various newspapers in Canada and the U.S.A., May 07, 2007
CAPE TOWN, South Affrica - “ A woman was convicted today of hiring a hit squad to murder her lover's baby, ending a trial that had dominated headlines for months with details of South Africa's first known contract killing of an infant. More..
Mother and son plunge to deaths on 401
Police probe reports boy tossed from overpass
The Toronto Star, ( Canada's largest daily newspaper )Dec. 4, 2006. HENRY STANCU STAFF REPORTER
Toronto police are investigating reports that a mother threw her young son from an overpass over busy Highway 401 near the Toronto Zoo last night and then jumped after him, killing them both.
Shocked police officers found the bodies of the boy, about 3, and his mother in the westbound collector lanes under the Morningside Ave. bridge at about 7:15 p.m. More ..
Revisiting Canada's infanticide law
A safeguard for women? An insult to women? Canada's infanticide law, like the crime itself, ignites strong emotions on both sides. Just how did the legislation evolve and why do some legal experts want it scrapped?
The Edmonton Journal, David Staples, Sunday, November 12, 2006
"You heartless bastards!"
The words rang out in a Wetaskiwin courtroom, Ryan Effert's verbal attack on the eight-woman, four-man jury that had just found his 20-year-old sister, Katrina, guilty of murdering her newborn baby.
Ryan Effert was the first to lash out at the jury, but his angry words have been echoed by many others. Defence lawyers, legal experts, pundits and members of the public have all expressed upset and bewilderment at the decision on Sept. 26. More..
Toronto mother charged over baby death
Canadian Press , Oct. 17, 2006.
A Toronto mother has been charged
with concealing the death of
her baby more than three years
ago.
Police allege the woman gave
birth to a child sometime in
2002 or 2003.
Its believed the child died
after failing to receive any
assistance.
More ..
Role of CAS questioned after Barrie slayings
The Globe and Mail (Canada's
largest national newspaper),
ANTHONY REINHART AND CHRISTIE
BLATCHFORD, October 12, 2006
The mother accused of first-degree
murder in the deaths of her
two little girls last week was
admitted to a psychiatric ward
of a local hospital as a suicidal
patient just five months earlier.
Frances Elaine Campione, The
Globe and Mail has confirmed,
was admitted to the Royal Victoria
Hospital in Barrie, Ont., for
an emergency assessment.
The 31-year-old's history in
an active file at the Children's
Aid Society of Simcoe County
raises alarming questions about
why the agency returned her
two vulnerable youngsters Serena,
3, and Sophia, who was just
a year old to her care and what
workers and supervisors were
doing to monitor her.
Ms. Campione was admitted to
hospital early last June after
taking an overdose of medication
and leaving a suicide note.
She was discharged June 30,
and within a week or so, The
Globe has learned, had managed
to regain custody of the little
girls and had them back living
with her.
Ms. Campione was discharged
the same day that another mother
who was on the ward at the same
time walked out of the Royal
Vic but with a battery of support
services in place.
More ..
Mother walks free after shaking her baby to death
The Globe and Mail, February 1, 2004
TORONTO -- By about 11 o'clock yesterday morning, 25-year-old Elizabeth Cao was essentially free as a bird.
She was given a conditional sentence of two years less a day, plus three years of probation, meaning no jail time. More..
Sins of the mother
National Post ( one of Canada's
2 national newspapers), by Barbara
Kay, Wednesday, October 11,
2006
We have heard the story before.
The names change, the province
changes, the particulars of
the custody case change, the
age of the dead child changes,
but some things stay the same
when a mother kills her own
children: Any objective observer
can see the tragedy coming a
mile away,
the children are not removed
from her toxic embrace before
it happens, and the mother is
not only insufficiently punished
(if at all) for the crime, but
receives public sympathy on
the assumption she was driven
to it by forces beyond her control.
Last week, Frances Elaine Campione,
31, locked in a year-long custody
battle with her estranged husband
Leonardo, was charged with the
murder of their two baby daughters,
one-year-old Sophia, and three-year-old
Serena. Whatever the truth turns
out to be in this case, warning
signs
had abounded: The Children's
Aid Society of Simcoe County,
Ont. had kept an open file on
this family for some time; former
neighbours portrayed the mother
as unstable and possibly suicidal;
some described bizarre and frightening
public behaviour; she had been
hospitalized for treatment on
several occasions.
In the past five years, there
have been several comparable
tragedies. In 2003, 13-month-old
Zachary Turner was drugged and
drowned in Newfoundland by his
mother, Shirley, while she was
out on bail for the third time
on charges of murdering Zachary's
father. Then there was Toronto
baby Jordan Heikamp, who in
2001 starved to death in his
mother's care under the eyes
of the Catholic Children's Aid
Society (no jail time), and
Toronto baby Sara Cao, abused
to death in 2001 by her mother
Elizabeth (again no jail time
-- has any murdering mom ever
done jail time in Canada?).
According to Christie Blatchford,
who followed the case, Sara's
mother was "treated by the system,
and in the main by the media,
as a pitiful [woman], worthy
of sympathy."
More ..
Mothers kill as often as fathers do
The Globe and Mail, by TIMOTHY APPLEBY, October 5, 2006
Mother-on-child homicides are rare in Canada but far from unknown.
Twenty-seven of the 37 children slain countrywide in 2004 -- 73 per cent -- were killed by their parents, and mothers were responsible for as many of the deaths as were fathers.
Among those 27 victims, 13 were killed by their biological mothers, eight by their biological fathers.. More ..
Barrie mom faced custody hearing
Girls, 1 and 3, found
dead at home
Family court appearance set
for today
JIM WILKES AND JESSICA LEEDER, STAFF REPORTERS, Oct. 5, 2006
BARRIE - Friends say a woman charged
with killing her two young daughters
feared she was about to lose
them in a bitter custody battle
with her estranged husband.
The latest chapter in the custody
dispute was to have played out
in family court today, but yesterday's
slayings of Sophia Campione,
3, and her year-old sister Serena
have brought that hearing to
a tragic end.
More ..
Investigation into the Death of Zachary Andrew Turner (18 July 2002 to 18 August 2003)
Zachary Turner, a 13 months old baby, died at the hands of his fugitive mother, Dr. Shirley Turner, who killed him and then committed suicide on August 18, 2003.
Turner was facing extradition
to the United States to stand
trial for the 2001 murder of
Dr. Andrew Bagby, Zachary's
father.
28-year-old Dr. Andrew Bagby
was found shot to death in Keystone
State Park, 55 kilometres northeast
of Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A.
Turner fled to Newfoundland,
Canada where Zachary was born.
She was out on bail against
the wishes of U.S. authorities
at the time of Zachary's death.
We have a whole section with the coroner's report More ..
Breast-feeding mother allegedly kills baby
Inebriated 27-year-old told police she fell asleep on top of 4-month-old girl
The Associated Press, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA, Nov 12, 2005
OshKosh, Wisconsin U.S.A.. - A 4-month-old girl died when her inebriated mother fell asleep on top of her while breast-feeding, prosecutors said.
Lorinda Hawkins told police she fell asleep about 15 minutes after she started breast-feeding the baby Feb. 23 because of her intoxication, a criminal complaint said.
When she woke up about an hour later, the baby was pale and wasnt breathing, the complaint said. Hawkins was charged Friday with one count of child neglect causing a death. If convicted as a repeat felony offender, she could be sentenced to 29 years in prison and fined $100,000. More..
A list of infanticide cases in Canada
Canadian Press, Thursday, September 28, 2006
(CP) - Katrina Effert of Wetaskiwin, Alta., has been
convicted of second-degree murder for killing her newborn
baby boy. Here's what has happened in some other Canadian
cases of newborn killing:
Melanie Sheila Murphy, 21: left her baby daughter in garbage
bag at the college she was attending in Camrose, Alta. Given
suspended sentence in 1998 for infanticide and ordered to
perform 75 hours of community service.
More..
Alberta baby-killing verdict discussions echo national infanticide debate
Canadian Press, By: LISA ARROWSMITH, September 27, 2006
WETASKIWIN, Alta. (CP) - It's a small farming community whose high number of auto dealerships has given it a reputation as a good place for a deal on a car.
But the morning after a young local woman was convicted of murdering her newborn baby, debate on the leafy streets of Wetaskiwin, Alta., was over much higher stakes than Ford Vs. Chevy.
"Ten years is not sufficient," said an adamant Gail Doolittle, referring to the sentence handed out to Katrina Effert, 20.
"That's the justice system. We need to give them a chance," she sneered as she loaded her two-year-old daughter Heather into a car seat at a local grocery store. More ..
Verdict shocks experts
Murder convictions rare when moms kill newborns
The Edmonton Journal, Jim Farrell, Thursday, September 28, 2006
EDMONTON -- Legal experts, stunned by Tuesday's second-degree
murder conviction of a 20-year-old woman who killed her
newborn baby, declared an appeal on the grounds of "unreasonable
verdict" a virtual certainty.
Expect Katrina Effert of Wetaskiwin to win that appeal and
get a new trial says a University of Winnipeg criminologist.
"I think her chances are pretty good," Kirsten Kramar said.
"Effert's second-degree murder conviction is completely
out of step with jurisprudence in other provinces. It wasn't
a just outcome."
The jury at Effert's trial had the option of finding her
guilty of second- degree murder, of infanticide or of manslaughter.
Convicted of infanticide or manslaughter, Effert might have
gone to jail for a short period of time or she might have
received only a conditional sentence and done no time at
all.
More..
Accused baby killer was revered by children, court told
Canadian Press, September 20, 2006
EDMONTON - Three women who have known Katrina Effert for
decades told the jury at her murder trial how she has been
loved and revered by children all her life and how she returned
that affection.
Effert, 20, is accused of strangling her baby last year with a pair of her thong underwear and dumping his body over a neighbour's fence within hours of secretly giving birth in the basement of her parents'Wetaskiwin, Alta., home.
Defence witness Cathy Doty testified she has known Effert all her life. She said children loved Effert.
"They loved her to pieces," said Doty, Effert's second cousin. "They didn't leave her alone. They surrounded her all the time. More ..
Lawyers appeal in infanticide case
Edmonton Journal, CanWest News Service; Friday, September 29, 2006
Wetaskiwin AB - Katrina Effert, 19, in disguise, quickly enters the Wetaskiwin Court House for her trial, she's charged with second-degree murder in the death of her newborn son in Wetaskiwin in 2005.
EDMONTON - Lawyers for an Alberta woman are appealing her second-degree murder conviction for killing her newborn baby.
In the meantime, they hope Katrina Effert, 20, of Wetaskiwin, Alta., will be able to get bail during what could be a lengthy process.
'We did that this morning,'lawyer Sheila Schumacher said Thursday after launching their appeal. More ..
Autopsy: Slain woman's kids were drowned
Associated Press Writer, By JIM SUHR, Sun Sep 24, 2006
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. U.S.A. - A woman accused of killing
a pregnant woman and her fetus told police she drowned the
woman's three young children and stuffed them into a washer
and dryer at their apartment, an official said Sunday.
Preliminary autopsies on the dead children Sunday appear
to show they were drowned, Ace Hart, a deputy St. Clair
County coroner, told The Associated Press.
As of Sunday, Tiffany Hall, 24, had not been charged in
the children's deaths, but prosecutors on Saturday accused
Hall of killing their mother, Jimella Tunstall, 23, and
her fetus. The fetus had been cut from her womb, authorities
said.
More ..
Toddler dies from head injuries
Mother charged in daughter's death
21-month-old hurt Friday night
The Toronto Star, by HENRY STANCU, STAFF REPORTER, Oct. 12, 2004.
A Toronto woman has been charged after her 21-month-old daughter died from severe blunt trauma to the head, police say.
City police and ambulance were called Friday at 11 p.m. to an apartment on Pape Ave. at Queen St. E. Inside, they found Starlin Waide, who wasn't breathing. She was rushed to the Hospital for Sick Children but died Saturday at 5:30 p.m., police said. More ..
USC student held in newborn's death
Associated Press, U.S.A. October 14, 2005
A University of Southern California student was charged Thursday with murder for allegedly leaving her newborn son in a box next to trash bin where he was found dead.
Holly Ashcraft, 21, of Montana was charged with one count of murder and one count of child abuse, Deputy District Attorney Efrain Aceves said.
Ashcraft, who was arrested Wednesday, made a court appearance Thursday but her arraignment was postponed to Nov. 9. If convicted, she would face 25 years to life in prison. More ..
Texas woman accused of killing her kids
Associated Press, various newspapers and media in U.S.A. and Canada By LISA FALKENBERG, May 12, 2003
TYLER, Texas (AP) - A woman charged with bludgeoning two of her sons to death with rocks and critically injuring a third child may not understand the capital murder and aggravated assault charges against her, her lawyer said in court Monday.
Two days after Deanna LaJune Laney, 38, called 911 to report killing two of her sons, the petite woman appeared in court, wide-eyed and nodding responsively when District Court Judge Cynthia Kent asked her if she understood her rights. Laney's newly appointed lawyer, F.R. (Buck) Files, questioned Laney's understanding of the situation.
"I'm not sure if she can truthfully say she understands what is going on," Files told the judge.
Laney is accused of killing Joshua Laney, 8, and Luke Laney, 6, and injuring their 14-month-old brother, Aaron. The toddler remained in critical condition Monday at a Dallas hospital. More ..
Sheriff: Texas woman says God told her to kill sons
No decision on seeking death penalty, attorney says
CNN, USA, Tuesday, May 13, 2003
TYLER, Texas (CNN) -- Whether authorities will seek the death penalty against a Texas woman accused of beating to death two of her three young sons has not been decided, according to the district attorney who will try the case.
Texas woman accused of beating to death two of her three young sons Deanna LaJune Laney made her first brief court appearance Monday
Smith County D.A. Jack Skeen said he wants to wait until all the evidence is gathered before making that decision in the capital murder case of Deanna LaJune Laney, 38.
In Texas, a capital murder charge carries a punishment of either life in prison or death.
Laney made a brief court appearance Monday, in which a judge read aloud her rights and put her bail at $3 million, the district clerk said. Laney's court-appointed lawyer, F.R. "Buck" Files, advised her to stand silent.
Files said he was simply being cautious because his client has not yet had a mental examination -- the results of which could be key to her defense.
"We have such uncommon allegations against her that it raises, for anyone who's ever been in the system, questions of sanity and competence," he said.
Texas mother beats children to death
Associated Press, U.S.A., Monday, May. 12, 2003
Tyler, Texas — A woman accused of fatally beating two of her sons with rocks spent Mother's Day sobbing and muttering in a jail cell.
Deanna LaJune Laney, 38, remained on a suicide watch Monday at Smith County Jail, where she was held in lieu of $3-million (U.S.) bond on capital murder and aggravated assault charges.
Ms. Laney is accused of killing Joshua Laney, 8, and Luke Laney, 6, and injuring their 14-month-old brother, Aaron. Aaron remained in critical condition early Monday at a Dallas Hospital.
In a call to emergency workers early Saturday, Ms. Laney reported that she had just "bashed their heads in with a rock," Sheriff J.B. Smith said. More..
Girl, 14, pleads guilty to infanticide
Newborn boy dies after being abandoned on trail near home
Saskatoon StarPhoenix, SK, Heather Polischuk and Jason Warick, Senior Reporter, May 25, 2002
PRINCE ALBERT -- A 14-year-old girl pleaded guilty Friday to infanticide for abandoning her newborn baby along a seldom-used trail behind her home.
The teenager, who cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act, was also charged with first-degree murder, but that was dropped in exchange for her guilty plea to the lesser charge.
The girl walked into a bush on Oct. 2, 2001, near the home on the Whitefish reserve that she shared with several relatives and gave birth to the baby. She had hidden the pregnancy from her family, court heard.
The girl wrapped the baby boy in a blanket, placed him along the infrequently used trail and walked away.
The baby's body was discovered along the path two days later. More..
