VICTORIA -- The mother of two murdered girls says she's living a nightmare from which she can never awake.
Sarah Cotton told a B.C. Supreme Court sentencing hearing in a victim-impact statement that she never imagined her former partner, Andrew Berry, would murder his own defenceless daughters, who loved their father.
Cotton says her life is one of emptiness and having to face each holiday, especially Christmas, without her children is devastating.
Six-year-old Chloe Berry and her four-year-old sister, Aubrey, were murdered Christmas Day two years ago in their father's Oak Bay apartment.
A jury found Berry guilty of two charges of second-degree murder in September.
The conviction is an automatic life sentence of 25 years, but the hearing this week will be used to determine Berry's parole eligibility and whether the term will be serviced consecutively or concurrently.
