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Judge Accepts Manslaughter Plea in Alberta Child Homicide Despite Edmonton Police Objection

The outcome deepens a rare public clash over prosecutorial discretion following a police bid for an Alberta Justice review.

Edmonton Police Service shoulder badge in Edmonton on Tuesday, Aug 1, 2023. A fire that destroyed an aircraft hangar built during the Second World War in Edmonton is being investigated by police as suspicious. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
A disguised photo of an eight-year-old Edmonton girl who died of blunt force trauma in April 2023.
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In an open letter written by Edmonton Police Service lawyer Megan Hankewich, and sent by Interim Chief Warren Driechel, police say allowing the plea deal to go ahead would be a 'miscarriage of justice.'

Overview

  • The 29-year-old Edmonton woman, originally charged with first-degree murder, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Court of King’s Bench, with sentencing set for later this year.
  • Edmonton police had urged Assistant Deputy Justice Minister Kim Goddard to invoke R. v. Nixon to review the Crown’s decision, calling a manslaughter resolution a miscarriage of justice.
  • Police warned they would release investigation details if the plea proceeded, a step they said would allow the public to assess the prosecution’s approach under existing publication bans.
  • In court, prosecutor Terry Hofmann said there is no joint sentencing submission and that Crown and defence will seek different terms, after police said the offer contemplated eight years.
  • Defence and criminal-law groups condemned the police intervention as improper interference, the Crown and Justice Ministry declined comment, and the child’s relatives protested in court; two men earlier received sentences of just under three years for indignity to a body.