Everton Biddersingh sentenced to life in prison for murder of daughter Melonie
Everton Biddersingh has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for the murder of his daughter Melonie.
Biddersingh was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Melonie, whose charred body was found in a burning suitcase in an industrial area north of Toronto in 1994.
At the sentencing today, Superior Court Justice Al O'Marra described the 60-year-old's actions against his daughter as "monstrous" and "savage."
"Her life with you was an unspeakable horror," the O'Marra said, recounting how Biddersingh starved, confined and drowned Melonie before desecrating her remains.
When asked if he had anything to say, Biddersingh responded: "It won't do any good, it won't make any difference. No."
Before the sentence was handed down, a local supporter of the family read victim impact statements from Melonie's mother Opal Austin and her half-sisters, Racquel Ellis and Suan Biddersingh.
Austin wrote that putting together the statement was the hardest thing she's ever had to do and that her daughter's death will stay with her forever.
'I do not know when it will stop'
"There is nothing — I mean nothing — Melonie would have ever done that could have led to the dreadful outcome of her murder," wrote Austin. "So I am left wondering why for the rest of my life."
Ellis, who lives near Austin in Jamaica, wrote that now "Melonie can rest in peace knowing her killer has been brought to justice."
Suan Biddersingh met Melonie before she died, and was part of the search for her back in 1994 when she disappeared. She wrote about both the "heartbreak" of Melonie's death and how Everton Biddersingh's actions have left the family "to bear the burden" that comes with the Biddersingh name.
"All this hurt and pain has taken a toll on my emotional and physical wellbeing over the years and I do not know when it will stop," wrote Suan Biddersingh. "I am hoping it will all subside when this is all over ... if it is ever over."
The Crown had alleged that Biddersingh drowned or starved his daughter after prolonged abuse.
Alternatively, the prosecution argued that she had died while her father unlawfully confined her in their small Toronto apartment.
Outside the courthouse this morning, Det. Sgt. Steve Ryan said that the Biddersingh case shows that cold cases can be solved.
"I do hope though that this serves as hope for all those other families who have loved ones who have been murdered and are still waiting for that phone call to say that police have found the person or identified the person that did that."
The jury at the trial in Toronto returned its verdict just hours after beginning deliberations on Jan. 7.
Biddersingh, 60, had pleaded not guilty.
