B.C. mother found not guilty of 1st-degree murder of 7-year-old girl
A judge has found a Metro Vancouver mother not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of her seven-year-old child.
The body of Aaliyah Rosa was found in her mother's Langley, B.C., apartment in July 2018. Her mother, Kerry Ann Lewis, was charged with first-degree murder in the case.
The Crown's theory, the court heard, was that Lewis sedated her daughter then drowned the girl in the bathtub of her suite.
The defence argued there was a "huge lack of evidence" in the case, including proof of how the drugs found in the girl's system got there.
Justice Martha Devlin agreed with the Crown, saying that on a balance of probabilities, it was likely Lewis gave the girl sedatives.
But she took issue with the work done by pathologist Dr. Lisa Steele, who conducted the autopsy.
“I have some concerns regarding the reliability of Dr. Steele’s evidence,” she said, noting the pathologist had apparently failed to notice evidence of a pre-existing brain condition.
A pair of neuropathologists who testified as expert witnesses for the defence said Aaliyah lived with hydrocephalus, which is an abnormal buildup of fluid deep within the brain.
The judge accepted their evidence that the condition could have been a contributing factor in Aaliyah’s death.
In delivering her decision, Justice Devlin said the Crown had not proved its theory beyond a reasonable doubt and found Lewis not guilty.
About eight friends and family of Aaliyah were in the gallery, with many more watching on a monitor in an adjacent room.
When the verdict was read, many became very emotional, with some crying and others needing to be restrained by sheriffs as they attempted to move towards Lewis, who was being led out of the courtroom by other sheriffs.
Outside the courthouse, a visibly distraught Stephen Rosa, Aaliyah’s father, declined to speak to the media as friends and family huddled with him in support.
Crown lawyers also declined to address the media so it is not clear yet if they plan to appeal the decision.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during UK trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.