Sask. mother who killed newborn daughter sentenced to 6 years
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.
A judge handed down a six-year sentence for a Kindersley woman who killed her newborn daughter.
Teenie Rose Steer threw her one-month-old baby against a living room wall, court heard.
Steer told investigators the killing happened in a moment of frustration and anger when the baby wouldn’t settle.
The then 28-year-old mother told police she heard a crack when the infant hit the wall and realized the child had no signs of life, court heard. She then put her daughter back in the bassinet.
The infant was pronounced dead in hospital on Sept. 27, 2018.
An autopsy found the newborn had a nine centimetre skull fracture and died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Steer was charged with second-degree murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter.
Justice Gerald Allbright delivered his 33-page sentencing decision on Friday at Saskatoon’s Queen’s Bench.
“[The baby’s] life was ended at the hands of the same person who gave her life,” Allbright said.
The Crown pushed for an eight-year sentence, while the defence argued for a four to four-and-a-half year sentence.
Allbright considered Steer’s delay to tell the truth as an aggravating factor.
Steer originally gave police differing explanations of how her child died.
She first told RCMP she found her daughter unresponsive in the bassinet.
In a second interview with investigators, Steer changed her story about where the baby was sleeping the night she died.
At one point, she attempted to advance a theory that her other three-year-old daughter was jealous of her newborn sister and mistreated her.
Court heard it took 17 months for Steer to admit to police what happened.
“I think he appreciated in the end that her inability to be forthcoming with that, at the first instance, was something that to consider as aggravating,” said Crown prosecutor Janyne Laing.
Laing argued Steer’s failed obligation to care for her vulnerable child was also an aggravating factor, which the judge considered in his decision.
“This very young child had a right to live a life, unmarked by violence and she lost that night. That must never be forgotten,” Allbright said.
The defence argued Steer faced poverty and a troubled childhood with abuse in the home.
At the time of the killing, the defence said Steer hadn’t slept in days and was in a state of extreme exhaustion.
Steer appeared in court virtually from Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford where court heard Steer is taking, and excelling, in different courses.
Allbright said he believes Steer has remorse for the killing and is confident in her rehabilitation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.