A 16-year-old girl has been sentenced for leaving her open custody facility in Saskatoon the day before she was arrested for killing six-week-old Nikosis Jace Cantre.
The youth pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the baby’s death in October. On Wednesday, she pleaded guilty to escaping lawful custody on July 2, 2016. Her identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Judge Marilyn Gray accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defence, sentencing the teen to 120 days in custody for the escape.
Staff saw the girl run outside and found a note by her door indicating she was homesick, court heard. The defence said she was also being teased by others on her ward.
According to Saskatoon police, the teen was serving a 10-month open custody sentence at the Kilburn Hall youth facility when she ran away at 12:45 a.m. At 12:48 a.m., police were notified and an alert was issued to all cars and patrol officers, advising them to be on the lookout for her. A warrant for the teen’s arrest was issued around 2:30 a.m.
The family of Nikosis has said the teen girl was wandering the city streets on the morning of July 2 before family members found her and invited her into their Waterloo Crescent home.
A memorial on Waterloo Crescent in Saskatoon for six-week-old Nikosis Jace Cantre, July 5, 2016. A 16-year-old girl has been charged with second-degree murder in the death.
The girl was arrested on July 3 after family members found the injured baby in the home around 7 a.m. on July 3. Nikosis subsequently died at Royal University Hospital.
The teen’s sentencing hearing on the murder charge has been set for two days in June. Crown prosecutor Jennifer Claxton-Viczko said lawyers are still waiting on the completion of a Gladue report examining her background.
bmcadam@postmedia.com
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