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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Judge not ready to release young killer

Concerned about lack of supports

By: Mike McIntyre

Posted: 04/30/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Murder victim Audrey Cooper

A Manitoba judge is not yet ready to open the cell door and release one of the city's youngest killers back into the community.

The youth -- who can't be named because she was only 12 at the time of the October 2006 killing of Audrey Cooper -- can't be held much longer because she's nearing the maximum sentence of three years custody and supervision for manslaughter under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Crown and defence lawyers began their submissions in February, then returned to court Wednesday to provide more information to Queen's Bench Justice Deborah McCawley about what will happen to the teen once she leaves the Manitoba Youth Centre. McCawley has adjourned the case yet again based on ongoing concerns about a lack of community-based structure and support for the girl.

"I've never seen a worse pre-sentence report in my life," said McCawley.

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.

"That's all she's worth," one of them later told police.

Cooper, 34, suffered 64 separate injuries in the unprovoked attack, including seven broken ribs, a lacerated liver, swelling that shut both of her eyes and bleeding on the brain, which caused fatal head trauma. Police arrested four suspects -- the 12-year-old girl, two 14-year-old girls and a 15-year-old boy. All but the youngest remain before the courts. Defence lawyer Darren Sawchuk said Wednesday his young client grew up in a climate of abuse, abandonment and neglect and was even taught how to snort cocaine by her mother. He told court her sad story actually inspired him to write a song and to take on a "paternal" role with the girl.

Sawchuk also related a discussion he had with the girl about Peter Pan and how a fairy tale story would see her "sprinkle pixie dust and take her away to Never Never Land."

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, said Sawchuk.

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.

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.

www.mikeoncrime.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 30, 2009 B4

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