Murdered girl Granby’s father pleads guilty to confinement

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The girl’s death triggered an investigation by the Human Rights Commission, which said that all levels of the clinical and legal system had failed her.

Author of the article:

Paul Cherry • Montreal Gazette

Publication date:

December 15, 2021 • 57 minutes ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation

A memorial to commemorate the young woman who died in 2019, in front of the courthouse in Granby.
A memorial to commemorate the young woman who died in 2019, in front of the courthouse in Granby. Photo by Pierre Saint-Arnaud /THE CANADIAN PRESS

The father of the 7-year-old girl who was killed in Granby two years ago pleaded guilty to forcibly confining his daughter in a case of abuse and neglect that shocked the province.

The father pleaded guilty Monday, but his admission remained under a publication ban until Wednesday morning.

Last week, a jury found the girl’s stepmother guilty of second-degree murder and forced confinement. Despite listening to evidence for weeks, it only took a few hours for the jury to rule on the verdicts.

The names of the victim, his father and stepmother are subject to a publication ban.

A pathologist who testified in November during the stepmother’s trial said the girl suffocated after being wrapped in tape, including over her nose and mouth. The pathologist said there were no other signs of trauma that could explain the death.

The girl’s father was scheduled for a trial in January, but chose to plead guilty to forced confinement. The Crown requested that the proceedings be suspended on a charge of criminal negligence that caused the death.

The Superior Court judge, François Huot, accepted the guilty plea and suspended the process. It lifted the ban on the publication of the evidence heard during the trial of the stepmother that incriminated the father. During the stepmother’s trial, the media was unable to publish any evidence related to the girl’s father.

The same judge will hear the sentencing arguments on January 7.

Sentencing arguments in the stepmother’s case are scheduled to begin on Friday. She automatically received a life sentence when she was found guilty of second degree murder, but the judge will have to determine how long she has to spend behind bars before she is eligible for parole.

The girl’s death sparked an investigation by the Quebec Human Rights Commission. In a report released in 2020, the commission said the girl was failed by all levels of the clinical and legal system created to protect people like her.

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Reference-montrealgazette.com

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