Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Young killer released from jail

But will still be under 24-hour supervision

By: Mike McIntyre

Posted: 06/25/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

WINNIPEG — ONE of Winnipeg's youngest killers stepped out of jail Wednesday after nearly exceeding the maximum penalty she could serve under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

"This is the end of the road. Now you have to decide what path you're going to take," Queen's Bench Justice Deborah McCawley told the now 15-year-old girl.

She was only 12 when she participated in the October 2006 killing of Audrey Cooper. The details of the case 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. The girl's three former co-accused are set to stand trial next year.

The youngest girl has spent the past 32 months in custody without bail. Normally, youths receive pre-trial credit at a 1.5-to-1 ratio, which would give her 48 months. The maximum sentence for manslaughter is three years of custody and supervision.

McCawley found a creative way Wednesday to ensure the girl doesn't completely escape the reach of the justice system. She assigned just seven-and-a-half months of pre-trial custody as credit, then filled out the rest of the three-year allowable sentence with 28-and-a-half months of community supervision. It's not a coincidence that takes the girl directly up to her 18th birthday.

She has been ordered to live at a local group home under 24-hour supervision until she is no longer a youth. Any breaches of her community supervision order could land her back in jail.

"I hope they will provide you with the kind of care and the kind of support and guidance that you haven't had," said McCawley. 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, court was told. McCawley said similar outbursts won't be tolerated on the outside.

"Sometimes they'll be telling you stuff you don't want to hear, things you don't feel like. You may just want to tell everyone to go to hell," said McCawley. "You can't let that happen. You have to find a way to cool, chill, let the anger pass, use your head."

Defence lawyer Darren Sawchuk told court his young client 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.

www.mikeoncrime.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 25, 2009 A4

(You must be logged in to post your reaction)

Your reaction?

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.