June 25, 2009
- Teen girl left prison after serving the maximum penalty allowed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
- Was age 12 when she participated in the killing of Audrey Cooper.
- She was randomly targetted, beaten until unrecognizable, stripped and urinated on by a group of teens.
- Suffered 64 separate injuries, including liver laceration, 7 broken ribs, swelling that shut her eyes and bleeding on the brain causing fatal trauma.
- 4 teens were arrested-- one 12 yr old girl, two 14 yr old girls and a 15 yr old boy. The three besides the 12 yr old girl, are set to stand trial this year sometime.
- Girl had spent 32 months in custody without bail.
- Normally youth get pre trial credit at 1.5 to 1 ratio, which would give her 48 months
- Under the YCJA, the maximum sentence for manslaughter is 3 years custody and supervision.
- Judge assigned 7.5 months pre-trial custody as credit and the rest of the 3 yr sentence with 28.5 months of community supervision.
- Was ordered to live at local youth group home with 24 hours supervision until she turned 18
- Was warned that if she breached conditions of supervision order, she could be sent back to prison.
- Judge hopes that it will provide her with care, support and guidance that she hasn`t had previously.
- The girl has been a constant source of trouble at the Manitoba Youth Centre, including numerous run-ins with staff. In one incident, she threatened to stab someone in the eye with a syringe
- similar outbursts won't be tolerated on the outside.
- Teen girl grew up in a climate of abuse, abandonment and neglect and was even taught how to snort cocaine by her mother. She now aspires to change her life and one day become a nurse, working closely with newborn babies.
- On the night of the slaying, the girl and her friends had been roaming the core area, apparently bored and looking for people to beat up and rob, court was told. They focused on Cooper, who was standing alone outside her Spence Street home after picking up groceries at a nearby convenience store. The group asked her for a cigarette, then jumped her when she said she didn't have one.
- "It's appropriate for the court to ask to what degree is it fair to expect someone to know how to behave when no one has taught them. Where was this accused to learn pro-social behaviour? Where were her roles models?" asked the Crown
- We heard how the girl, now 15, has grown up in an environment of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Her mother taught her how to smoke crack cocaine at a very young age. Her family has a 20-year history with Child and Family Services.
- "She was raised in an environment without rules, structure or consequences. Her street cred is all that matters. She feels like she must react to any disrespect, real or imagined``
- Audrey Cooper did nothing to disrespect this girl and her friends, which allegedly included two 14-year-old girls and a 15-year-old boy. Cooper was simply standing alone outside her house when she was jumped without any warning or provocation.
- It's obvious there was no guidance or supervision for any of these youths - consider the fact they were roaming the streets, bored and apparently looking for trouble, at 2:45 in the morning.
- But does that mean society ought to look at them any differently? Should we all accept some blame for how these kids turned out?
- While discussing this case on CJOB radio Wednesday morning, host Richard Cloutier wondered aloud whether the parents of this girl should be charged for essentially being an accessory to the crime their daughter committed?
- I don't believe a horrible upbringing should ever be an excuse to commit a crime. That's a slap in the face to people who had a less-than-stellar childhood but persevered and made something positive of their lives.
- However, I'm not blind to the reality that we have children in our community growing up in the kind of environments we wouldn't wish upon our worst enemy.
So is it any surprise when we end up hearing stories like this?
We know Audrey Cooper never had a fighting chance on that fateful night. But what about the 12-year-old girl who helped end her life?
I feel that many factors led to this girl participating in this crime such as neglect, abuse, poverty, lack of options, drug addicted parents, gang life, bad influence from peer group, etc. I feel that in order to prevent her from committing another crime, we need to take away these factors that can contribute to, encourage and facilitate crime.
- April 30, 2009
- The girl has admitted to her role in a slaying that shocked even hardened police investigators -- a woman randomly targeted for death, beaten until she was unrecognizable, stripped and then urinated on by a group of laughing teens who tossed loose change on her body as they fled the scene
- A local youth rehabilitation centre has agreed to provide a bed for the girl once she is released from jail, with hopes of keeping her under close supervision until she's 18
- Cooper tried to flee but was quickly caught and knocked to the ground. Her killers took turns jumping on her stomach and head while delivering a flurry of kicks and punches, court was told.
- Cooper was then stripped naked as her attackers went through her pockets looking for money. They found some loose change and tossed it on the unconscious woman while laughing and calling her degrading names, court was told.
- Feb. 25, 2009
- "Audrey Cooper was someone who just happened to be standing in her yard when the accused walked by. It could have literally been anyone. This is obviously very chilling," said Crown
- "She was the victim of a thorough, prolonged and vicious beating, practically from one end of her body to the other,"
- the beating lasted about 10 minutes.
- She was rushed to hospital but attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.
- All four accused were charged with second-degree murder.
- The Crown decided to reduce the charge to manslaughter and cut a deal with the youngest girl after she agreed to testify against her co-accused, who are set to go on trial in May. The Crown will seek an adult sentence if they are convicted.
- However, the 12-year-old girl can only be sentenced as a youth because federal law stipulates only those older than 14 can be raised to adult court.
- The Crown is seeking the maximum sentence of three years in custody and supervision
- A pre-sentencing report shows the girl was abused, abandoned and neglected. She was taught how to snort cocaine by her mother, court was told. She also has strong ties to gangs.
- "She was raised in an environment without rules, structure of consequences. Her street cred is all that matters. She feels like she must react to any disrespect, real or imagined,"
- "It's appropriate for the court to ask to what degree is it fair to expect someone to know how to behave when no one has taught them. Where was this accused to learn pro-social behaviour? Where were her roles models?"
No comments:
Post a Comment