Martin: Questions arise in dramatic crash that cost young girl her life
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One can't help but wonder what in the world could have been going through Calgarian Duane Nepoose's mind as he raced through the southern portion of the city six months ago in a stolen van.
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With not a police cruiser in sight, Nepoose could have at any time pulled over and fled the stolen vehicle on foot.
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He also could have slowed down to at or near the speed limit and obeyed traffic signals as there were no flashing lights behind him in hot pursuit.
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The only police present anywhere nearby was the HAWCS helicopter hovering above him high in the sky and if that was what Nepoose was fleeing he was doomed to get caught.
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Even the officer providing the narration lost his composure slightly as Nepoose rammed into Amanda Reitmeier's compact hatchback, causing a chain reaction involving five vehicles in total.
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'Oh, zero-one, zeros-one. We're gonna need EMS at Southland and Macleod. Massive zero-one,' the officer said, his voice wavering somewhat as he referred to the police code of 10-01 for an injury accident.
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The impact left Reitmeier and her 12-year-old daughter, Madison Desjardins, seriously injured. More tragic though, it also took the life of her nine-year-old daughter, Victoria Desjardins.
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The video was played in a Calgary courtroom earlier this month after Nepoose pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including dangerous driving causing the young girl's death.
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His sentencing hearing is set for September.
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The facts placed on the record before Justice Indra Maharaj and read in by Crown prosecutor Todd Buziak and agreed to by the offender and his lawyers, Rebecca Snukal and Sam Taylor, did not do justice to the horrific conduct of Nepoose on that day.
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But the HAWCS video, as well as body-worn camera footage from one of the first officers on the scene, which not only captured Nepoose's arrest but also the frantic but ultimately futile attempts to save the little girl's life, certainly did.
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Calgary Herald
6 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Martin: Questions arise in dramatic crash that cost young girl her life
Article content One can't help but wonder what in the world could have been going through Calgarian Duane Nepoose's mind as he raced through the southern portion of the city six months ago in a stolen van. Article content With not a police cruiser in sight, Nepoose could have at any time pulled over and fled the stolen vehicle on foot. Article content Article content He also could have slowed down to at or near the speed limit and obeyed traffic signals as there were no flashing lights behind him in hot pursuit. Article content Article content The only police present anywhere nearby was the HAWCS helicopter hovering above him high in the sky and if that was what Nepoose was fleeing he was doomed to get caught. Article content Article content Even the officer providing the narration lost his composure slightly as Nepoose rammed into Amanda Reitmeier's compact hatchback, causing a chain reaction involving five vehicles in total. Article content 'Oh, zero-one, zeros-one. We're gonna need EMS at Southland and Macleod. Massive zero-one,' the officer said, his voice wavering somewhat as he referred to the police code of 10-01 for an injury accident. Article content Article content The impact left Reitmeier and her 12-year-old daughter, Madison Desjardins, seriously injured. More tragic though, it also took the life of her nine-year-old daughter, Victoria Desjardins. Article content Article content Article content The video was played in a Calgary courtroom earlier this month after Nepoose pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including dangerous driving causing the young girl's death. Article content His sentencing hearing is set for September. Article content The facts placed on the record before Justice Indra Maharaj and read in by Crown prosecutor Todd Buziak and agreed to by the offender and his lawyers, Rebecca Snukal and Sam Taylor, did not do justice to the horrific conduct of Nepoose on that day. Article content But the HAWCS video, as well as body-worn camera footage from one of the first officers on the scene, which not only captured Nepoose's arrest but also the frantic but ultimately futile attempts to save the little girl's life, certainly did.
Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Crown seeks 20 years for convicted sex offender
Prosecutors are seeking a 20-year prison sentence for a small business owner convicted of sexually exploiting two vulnerable 13-year-old girls, one of whom later died of a drug overdose. Michael Bruce, 44, was found guilty after trial last year of 11 sex-related offences, including luring, in connection to the two girls as well as a then-19-year-old woman. 'I learned first-hand the damage predators inflict on their prey,' the deceased girl's grandmother wrote in a victim impact statement that was read out in court Wednesday. 'We as a society, as adults, should be protecting our children against this degrading psychological terror,' the woman said. 'It's been a long time coming, but the day is finally here for all those children — justice.' Court heard evidence at trial that Bruce, who owns and operates an HVAC business, had contacted a woman who lived in the Charles Walk area, in the North End, in April 2022 to arrange to have sex with her in exchange for work he had completed. The woman instead provided him with contact details for a 13-year-old girl. Bruce contacted the girl over Facebook and arranged to have sex with her in his pickup truck in exchange for $20 and a case of Twisted Tea alcoholic drinks. The girl's grandmother learned about the sexual assault and contacted police. The girl provided two video statements but later died as the result of a drug overdose. Court heard testimony Bruce had sex with the second 13-year-old girl, who was in foster care, as payment for giving her a ride home. The adult victim testified Bruce sexually assaulted her in his truck when she was intoxicated and slipping in and out of consciousness. Bruce testified he believed the first girl was 17 years old and claimed the sex was consensual, as was the sex with the adult victim. He denied having sex with the second 13-year-old girl. Bruce admitted at trial when one of the girls threatened to report him to police, he told her: 'Who are they going to believe — a gang member or a homeowner?' Bruce was arrested in June 2022, but not charged until the following September after Winnipeg police completed a lengthy analysis of his electronic devices. 'It is impossible to quantify… the level of harm these offences will have on these (victims), their families, and the community at large,' Crown attorney Kellie Stashko told Court of King's Bench Justice Sadie Bond on Wednesday. Bruce 'recognized their vulnerability and intentionally exploited them for his own selfish desires,' Stashko said. A forensic psychiatric report and presentence report prepared for court said Bruce – who admits to a long history of 'transactional' sex with women both in and out of the sex trade — continues to minimize his actions and their effect on the victims. 'There is really nothing to suggest this offender understands his risk factors in any way,' Stashko said. Stashko said a 20-year prison sentence was 'just and appropriate' and the minimum period necessary to satisfy the sentencing principals of denunciation and deterrence. 'These were not crimes of opportunity… every step he took was a deliberate choice, not an error in judgment,' Stashko said. Defence lawyer Mike Cook urged the judge to sentence Bruce to just six years in prison, describing him as a loving father of two and community-oriented businessman who has bought and renovated several rental properties to open up housing for the needy. Cook said Bruce had an upbringing marked by poverty, housing instability and exposure to domestic violence. Bruce was raised by a single mother and had no male role model. Cook argued Bruce's sexual maturation was stunted by early and prolonged exposure to pornography and an uncle who glorified empty sexual conquests. 'Micheal Bruce was not taught about love, caring, how to be a good spouse or boyfriend,' Cook said. 'He lacked some of the foundational blocks that would take him into adulthood… It's no surprise that he found himself in trouble as years went by.' Since his arrest, Bruce has joined sex addicts anonymous, a decision 'truly indicative of an internal motivation to change,' Cook said. Bruce offered a tearful apology to his victims, saying he never set out to exploit children. 'My criminality stems from my involvement in the sex trade,' he said. 'I did not seek out teenagers for sexual gratification, but I didn't say no and avail myself of the opportunity to walk away and figure out the truth of their age and I should have.' Bruce said he will regret what he did 'for as long as God allows me to be on this Earth' and is learning how to be a better person. 'I will spend the rest of my days trying to right the wrongs of my past and whenever society permits it, I will try to find ways to help vulnerable women and girls from being exploited sexually,' he said. Bruce will be sentenced June 23. Dean PritchardCourts reporter Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean. Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
18 hours ago
- Global News
Hit-and-run killer should spend 4 years in prison for sex assault on teen, B.C. court hears
A man already behind bars for a deadly hit-and-run should spend an additional four years for an unrelated sex assault against a 16-year-old girl, a B.C. courtroom heard Wednesday. That recommended sentence was submitted jointly by Crown prosecutors and lawyers for Alexandre Romero-Arata. A jury convicted Romero-Arata of sexual assault in December 2023. 1:51 Vancouver hit-and-run trial delayed multiple times by laywer changes Crown prosecutor Joseph Marin told the sentencing hearing the assault, which took place at a Vancouver hotel in 2021, involved choking the victim, pulling her hair and slapping her on the face and breasts. Story continues below advertisement The assaults had a devastating impact on a vulnerable young person, who Romero-Arata — then 25 — plied with alcohol 'despite knowing she was underage and struggling with substance abuse,' Marin told the court. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He added that there was no evidence Romero-Arata had insight into his actions, adding that he had taken the stand during his trial and denied any wrongdoing. Marin also read a victim impact statement written by the girl, in which she said the assaults had ruined her self-worth. 'For a long time, I would contemplate ending my life because of it … I didn't want to live with those memories,' she wrote. The victim's mother also read a statement via video link, in which she said the assaults sent her daughter into a downward spiral and broke their family. 2:41 More on record of fatal hit and run driver Alexandre Romero-Arata 'What was done to her was inexcusable, and it shattered every part of our lives,' she said. 'Nothing could undo what the defendant did to her.' Story continues below advertisement Romero-Arata avoided looking at the mother as she spoke, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead. 'You fractured an entire family,' she added. 'The effects have been long, deep and devastating.' Last December, Romero-Arata was handed a five-year sentence for criminal negligence causing death over a June 2022 hit-and-run that killed 24-year-old Irish man Eoghan Byrne. The court heard he had been drinking, was driving at speeds of up to 152 km/h and ran multiple red lights. Video recorded by a passenger in his vehicle showed him, at one point, saying, 'I ain't stopping for no red light.' Both that case and his sexual assault case dragged on for longer than expected, after Romero-Arata changed his legal counsel five times. Crown and defence agreed the proposed sex assault sentence should be served after Romero-Arata completes the two years he still has on his hit-and-run sentence. With the totality principle applied, he would spend an additional three years behind bars when that sentence is up. The judge is slated to rule on the submissions on Thursday.
