Teenage killer expected to take stand Friday in Saskatoon baby death
The teen who pleaded guilty to killing six-week-old Nikosis Cantre is expected to speak in court on Friday morning.
The teenage girl, who cannot be identified because of her age, told police she killed Cantre and eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
A sentencing hearing is now underway to determine whether she should be sentenced as a youth or an adult.
On Thursday, family members took the stand to give victim impact statements.
"I miss his little presence so much," said grandfather Jeffery Longman. "I wake up at night and think about him. A part of me is missing."
On the stand, family members said that writing the statements retraumatized them.
"[It's] a nightmare every time I think about it." said Cantre's mother, Alyssa Bird. "A part of me has died."
Crown and defence lawyers will make their final arguments on Friday.
Police confession
The teen had escaped from the open custody wing of Kilburn Hall the night before the killing. Eventually, she was taken in by the Cantre family and offered a place to stay.
The girl was drinking vodka while everyone else in the house was asleep. She then heard the child crying.
The teen then beat and stabbed the child before leaving the room.
"I let all my anger out on that baby," she said in a videotaped confession to police.
Adult or youth sentence
A judge will have to decide whether the teen is sentenced as a youth or as an adult.
Earlier this week, an official with the Ministry of Justice testified the teen would not benefit from the most intensive youth rehabilitation programs in the province.
If the teen is sentenced as an adult and receives a life sentence, she would be eligible for parole by the time she was 25. But James Gonzo, an official with the Correctional Services Canada said that doesn't necessarily mean she would be released.
"We would never support or recommend day or full parole grant for someone assessed a high risk to reoffend," he told the court.
Cantre's family had previously said they also want an adult sentence.
