Lee Bonneau inquest: Boy accused of killing 6-year-old was hearing voices
Child died of blunt force trauma after walking away from bingo he was attending with foster mother
The 10-year-old boy accused of killing Lee Bonneau, 6, on a reserve in southern Saskatchewan in 2013 was hearing voices, according to a child protection investigator who had interviewed him.
The inquest into the death is hearing from 31 witnesses who described events leading up to Bonneau's killing. The inquest has also learned details about the troubled early life of the boy known only as L.T. — the child's alleged killer.
Bonneau was found badly beaten on the Kahkewistahaw First Nation after walking away from a bingo he had been at with his foster mother.
We have no services for children of young ages.— Pat Santo
Pat Santo, a child protection investigator who worked for Yorkton Tribal Council Child and Family Services, told the inquest Tuesday that almost as soon as he was hired he was told that RCMP were interested in meeting and discussing L.T.'s case.
"I could tell there was something serious going on there that needed some attention," Santo said.
Santo said that when he learned more about L.T., including an allegation that he had killed a pregnant dog in 2011, he tried to put together a complete record on the boy, but that proved difficult. He said the child services agency had many problems, including poor record-keeping, a lack of communication, inadequate training and case overload.
He testified that efforts to interview L.T. were also difficult, as the boy's father didn't want him talking to his son and L.T. was reluctant to respond to questions.
"I used every tool I had in my book," Santo said about his attempts to learn more from the boy.
L.T. was hearing voices
In one meeting in March 2013, Santo said, he spoke with L.T. while the boy was in a truck. He said the boy told him he was hearing voices of a man, a woman and a baby.
"'They're telling me to get out of the truck,'" Santo recalled the boy saying.
"He's definitely got some issues," Santo said. "They needed to be dealt with immediately."
Despite that, it took four months before L.T. saw a psychiatrist.
Santo testified that moving L.T. to a foster home was not an option, because he did not consider L.T. to be in danger — although he was considered dangerous to other children.
"As far as apprehending him? If I apprehend him and put him in a foster home where there are other children? He's
already assaulted other children at school," Santo told the inquest.
Santo also said he believes there are other children that have similar problems and need treatment.
"He's not the only one," Santo said, adding that L.T. should have received mental health treatment a long time ago, but fell through the cracks. "We have no services for children of young ages."
The coroner's jury hearing the case can make findings on the circumstances and cause of the death. It can also make recommendations to prevent similar incidents in future.
The inquest resumes Wednesday.