Adele Sorella's mother finishes testimony amid questions of language

The mother of Adele Sorella said her daughter became fearful after the disappearance of her husband in 2006.

Teresa Di Cesare wrapped up her fourth and final day of testimony at the Laval courthouse Monday in her daughter's first-degree murder trial.

The 52-year-old Laval woman is accused in the 2009 deaths of her daughters Amanda, 9, and Sabrina, 8. The cause of death has not been established before the court.

Di Cesare moved in with her daughter and two granddaughters in Laval after Sorella's husband, Giuseppe De Vito, went into hiding from police in 2006. He was wanted on drug-related charges.

Under cross examination by defence lawyer Pierre Poupart, Di Cesare said she felt Sorella was afraid of somebody, and appeared to be afraid when she came home from outings.

"Several times she said we should leave Canada," Di Cesare said, explaining her daughter started bringing up the topic of moving after Sorella's first suicide attempt, in the wake of her husband's departure.

Di Cesare told Poupart that her granddaughters missed their father's presence. She said she had to make up the story that De Vito was away working on a contract, and couldn't come home until his work was done.

Amanda was troubled by rumours at school that De Vito was dead, Di Cesare said.

Ruling on language of testimony

The day began with a ruling from Quebec Superior Court Justice Sophie Bourque on which language Di Cesare would testify in.

Last week, Bourque suspended the trial to deal with a question from the jury.

During Di Cesare's third day of testimony, a member of the jury slipped a note to the judge saying members did not think Di Cesare understood the questions she was being asked.

Poupart had spent hours trying to establish what Di Cesare remembered from the day she found her granddaughters dead in 2009.

After consulting with crown and defence lawyers, Bourque told the jury members it is the right of a witness to testify in the language of his or her choice.

"In which language do you wish to testify," Bourque asked Di Cesare before the jury members.

"In French," Di Cesare responded.

Bourque also asked if she understood all of the questions she was asked by the Crown prosecutors and the defence lawyers, and if she had answered the way she wanted to.

Di Cesare said she had.