Sentencing for former B.C. foster parents after horrific abuse of two children, one died

CHILLIWACK, B.C. -

Caution: This story contains graphic details.

Horrific details are emerging in a Chilliwack courtroom into a foster abuse case that left one of two child victims dead.

Family members of the victims left the courtroom in tears at times as lawyers spoke of the prolonged physical and psychological suffering the children endured at the hands of their foster parents, who were supposed to be caring for them.

The accused, a man and a woman from the Fraser Valley, can not be named because it could identify the victims. The pair has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault.

The foster parents, who are Indigenous, began caring for the children, who are also Indigenous, in 2019.

In an agreed upon statement of facts from Crown and defence, prosecutor Theresa Landorio said video surveillance from both inside and outside the foster home captured the two accused slapping and kicking the children.

Crown said the abuse was “deliberate” and involved weapons, restraints and “severe suffering”.

The court heard that weapons were used on the children and included a 2x4 inch piece of wood, a belt and a broom handle.

The court also heard the children, 11 and 8 years old, would be wearing diapers though there was no medical reason for this.

Sometimes, the children were locked in a closet under the stairs.

Food was restricted and the children did not eat the same food as other children in the house.

At times, the 11-year-old “would go in the kitchen at night to try and find food to eat and this would result in additional punishment,” Landorio said.

The children were forced to eat both feces and dog food.

Sometimes their eyes were duct-taped or hands bound during the abuse, said Landiorio.

According to the statement of facts, other children living in the same home were encouraged to participate in the abuse.

On Feb. 25, 2021, the court heard that the foster mom abused the boy by dragging him around and slamming his head into the ground several times.

At one point, he was dropped onto the hardwood floor and kicked. Within minutes of the impact to his head, he became unresponsive.

The 11-year-old died days later on March 1, 2021. He weighed just 28.8 kilograms — or about 63.5 pounds. The court heard a normal weight for a boy his age would be 49.9 kilograms or about 110 pounds.

Defence and the prosecution are jointly asking for a 10-year sentence for manslaughter and six years for aggravated assault to be served concurrently.

The sentencing hearing is ongoing.