'There needs to be justice': Family of B.C. girl calling for appeal following mother's acquittal in murder trial
Warning: Disturbing content
All over the walls and shelves at Steve Rosa’s Metro Vancouver home, the smiling face of his little girl beams out from dozens of framed photos.
“She was full of life. She was always on the go,” he said of Aaliyah Rosa. “She was loved by everybody.”
Rosa last saw the seven-year-old alive on July 22, 2018, when he dropped her off for a scheduled visit with her mother, Kerryann Lewis, who had two unsupervised visits a week with the little girl at the time. The child's body was found that evening at Lewis’s Langley apartment. On Sept. 3 of this year, a Supreme Court Justice acquitted Lewis of first-degree murder in her daughter’s death.
On Tuesday, Rosa spoke with CTV News Vancouver about the case, and shared his disappointment in the verdict.
“A lot of confusion and anger and shock when she said not guilty. I just couldn’t understand,” he said. “It brings me right back to day one.”
In her reasons for judgement, Justice Martha Devlin outlined how the little girl’s wet body, clothed in a pink bathrobe, shorts, and underwear, was found next to the ensuite bathtub. Devlin said the little girl had two drugs in her system, including Ativan, which was found in the apartment, and which Lewis filled an emergency prescription for that morning.
Devlin found as a fact Lewis gave drugs to her daughter, but did not find she planned to kill her.
“Another reasonable and plausible theory is that Ms. Lewis gave Aaliyah the drugs to to subdue or relax Aaliyah, in order to keep Aaliyah quiet while Ms. Lewis dealt with her own emotional distress,” Devlin said.
Devlin also found a defence theory regarding a pre-existing condition known as arrested hydrocephalus was a plausible factor that may have contributed to the little girl's death.
The court also heard Aaliyah had injuries to her head and neck. Devlin said there was no evidence showing how or when those occurred.
“The defence submits that the circumstantial evidence supports a reasonable and plausible theory that Aaliyah accidentally incurred a mild head trauma, which triggered a ‘vicious cycle’ of edema and cerebral swelling,” Devlin said, and added a possible scenario included Aaliyah losing her balance and falling into the bath due to the effect of the drugs, the effects triggered by the head injury, or both combined.
“While it may be shocking to think that Ms. Lewis would leave her own daughter lying on the bathroom floor upon discovering her in the water, without seeking assistance, that does not logically lead to the only reasonable conclusion, considering all of the evidence, being that Ms. Lewis drowned Aaliyah. There is no evidence from which I can conclude that Aaliyah was either alive or dead at the time Ms. Lewis found her in the water, and there are other reasonable and plausible inferences that can be drawn, such as panic, embarrassment or shame, or fear of false accusation.”
Rosa said he wants someone held accountable for his daughter’s death, and hopes to see an appeal of the verdict.
“I don’t want it to go away quietly, that’s for sure,” he said. “Something more needs to happen. There needs to be justice for Aaliyah.”
Thousands have now signed on to an online petition started by a family friend calling for an appeal in the case.
In a statement sent to CTV News, Aaliyah’s aunt Kim Rosa shared memories of her young niece, and her own call for justice.
“Even with the simplest things, her joy was genuine and contagious,” she wrote, adding Aaliyah always made her laugh and was full of energy, but still loved to snuggle. “Our entire legal system let Aaliyah down.”
Steve Rosa said the outcome of the case has affected everybody who loves Aaliyah.
“Everybody is definitely upset,” he said “A lot of people are very angry.”
The Cown has 30 days to file a notice of appeal. The BC Prosecution Service said it is reviewing the verdict, and no decision has been made yet.
Rosa said he is grateful for the work of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team and prosecutors, and that getting justice for his daughter is “everything” to him.
“She’s not here anymore. She can’t speak for herself,” he said. “It’s just not fair.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.