Woman in Courtepatte killing to get adult sentence
Crown also appeals acquittal in Courtepatte case
A young woman convicted of playing a role in the beating death of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte in April 2005 was "far from the norms of civilized society" and will be sentenced as an adult, an Alberta Court of Queen's Bench judge ruled Thursday.
The woman was found guilty in April 2007 on charges of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and manslaughter in the the girl's death.
Courtepatte was lured from the West Edmonton Mall with the promise of a party, then was raped and beaten.
The convicted woman, who is now 20, was 17 at the time of the crime. She still can't be named.
But Justice June Ross ruled that the maximum youth sentence of three years would not be enough to hold the woman accountable for her crimes.
"The plan to kidnap and kill someone is so far from the norms of any civilized society, it's hard to imagine how anyone could conceive and participate in such a plan," she said.
The Crown and defence will argue Friday about the length of the woman's sentence. She could face up to 25 years in prison.
Man's acquittal appealed
The Crown was also in court in Edmonton Thursday appealing the acquittal of another man accused in Courtepatte's death.
Michael Briscoe, a 37-year-old man from Edmonton, was found not guilty on charges of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and first-degree murder of Nina Courtepatte at his trial, which ended in March 2007.
At the same trial, Joseph Laboucan, a 22-year-old from Fort St. John, was convicted and given a life sentence, with no chance for parole for 25 years.
Briscoe has maintained he was just the driver of the car and was along mostly to keep his girlfriend out of trouble.
Crown prosecutor Arnold Schlayer told three justices of the Alberta Court of Appeal that the trial judge failed to deal with what he called Brisoe's "wilful blindness" to the events.
He argued that even if Briscoe didn't know what was about to happen, he still helped his convicted co-accused Joseph Laboucan carry out his plan to kill someone.
Briscoe was not in court for the hearing.
It's not know when a decision in the appeal will be handed down.
With files from Gareth Hampshire