Latest news with #childdisappearance
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two men admit to helping move 8-year-old Edmonton girl's body after 2023 homicide
Two men pleaded guilty Friday for their role in the 2023 disappearance of a child who was later found dead. The pair admitted they were part of a group that participated in moving an eight-year-old girl's body from an Edmonton apartment to Maskwacis, Alta., where police found her in the bed of a truck. The girl can't be identified due to a publication ban. According to court records, separate court-ordered publication bans are also in effect for several of the other people involved in the case, including the two men who entered guilty pleas for indignity to a body. Court of King's Bench Justice Steven Mandziuk gave both men sentences of two years and nine months, agreeing to a joint submission from the Crown and defence for a sentence ranging between two and three years. With enhanced credit for time they've already spent in custody since being arrested in April 2023, each is considered to have already served their sentence. The courtroom was full of the girl's family members on Friday, many wearing shirts with the girl's face. "The victim here was an eight-year-old girl — the very picture of vulnerability. And the word indignity to remains doesn't really capture what happens in these types of crimes," Mandziuk said. "It was barbaric, callous and inhumane, and the product of a very, very poor decision." Two other men were also arrested and charged with accessory to murder and indignity to a dead body in April 2023. A 29-year-old woman is charged with first-degree murder in the case — she has yet to go to trial. Court heard that the woman was looking after the young girl at the time, but she is not a biological relative of hers. 'She had so much joy' Reading a victim impact statement in court on Friday, the girl's grandmother said the loss left the family broken. "I think of what she must have went through and it haunts me every time. I miss my baby girl so much," she said. "She loved her cousins and her family so much. She had so much joy. I'm scared for my other grandchildren." The girl's father said in his victim impact statement that he now struggles with fear that everyone could pose a risk of harming his children. "This horrendous tragedy led me down a dark, cold road — one that stripped me of any trust or faith I ever had in anyone or anything." According to an agreed statement of facts read in court, one of the men who pleaded guilty on Friday is a family member of the woman charged with murder, while the other was a friend of hers. That man, who is 68, came to the woman's apartment on the evening of April 22, 2023, and saw the eight-year-old girl's body, the agreed facts say. The next day, he drove the woman south of the city to Maskwacis, knowing that the girl's body was left behind, and no one had called an ambulance. He then drove three other men from Maskwacis to Edmonton, including the 27-year-old who's now been sentenced alongside him. The younger man told another person in the car after they started driving, "They were going to move a body but not whose body." The court heard that at the apartment, a different man put the girl's body in a hockey bag and loaded it into the trunk of the car. The group then drove back to Maskwacis. The girl's body was discovered during a police search five days later, on April 28, 2023. Mandziuk said the loss of a child, especially in a such traumatic way, has a profound and lasting impact on the people left behind. "On no level is this acceptable — no level. And it's a cold-hearted action."
CBC
16 hours ago
- CBC
Two men admit to helping move 8-year-old Edmonton girl's body after 2023 homicide
Two men pleaded guilty Friday for their role in the 2023 disappearance of a child who was later found dead. The pair admitted they were part of a group that participated in moving an eight-year-old girl's body from an Edmonton apartment to Maskwacis, Alta., where police found her in the bed of a truck. The girl can't be identified due to a publication ban. According to court records, separate court-ordered publication bans are also in effect for several of the other people involved in the case, including the two men who entered guilty pleas for indignity to a body. Court of King's Bench Justice Steven Mandziuk gave both men sentences of two years and nine months, agreeing to a joint submission from the Crown and defence for a sentence ranging between two and three years. With enhanced credit for time they've already spent in custody since being arrested in April 2023, each is considered to have already served their sentence. The courtroom was full of the girl's family members on Friday, many wearing shirts with the girl's face. "The victim here was an eight-year-old girl — the very picture of vulnerability. And the word indignity to remains doesn't really capture what happens in these types of crimes," Mandziuk said. "It was barbaric, callous and inhumane, and the product of a very, very poor decision." Two other men were also arrested and charged with accessory to murder and indignity to a dead body in April 2023. A 29-year-old woman is charged with first-degree murder in the case — she has yet to go to trial. Court heard that the woman was looking after the young girl at the time, but she is not a biological relative of hers. 'She had so much joy' Reading a victim impact statement in court on Friday, the girl's grandmother said the loss left the family broken. "I think of what she must have went through and it haunts me every time. I miss my baby girl so much," she said. "She loved her cousins and her family so much. She had so much joy. I'm scared for my other grandchildren." The girl's father said in his victim impact statement that he now struggles with fear that everyone could pose a risk of harming his children. "This horrendous tragedy led me down a dark, cold road — one that stripped me of any trust or faith I ever had in anyone or anything." According to an agreed statement of facts read in court, one of the men who pleaded guilty on Friday is a family member of the woman charged with murder, while the other was a friend of hers. That man, who is 68, came to the woman's apartment on the evening of April 22, 2023, and saw the eight-year-old girl's body, the agreed facts say. The next day, he drove the woman south of the city to Maskwacis, knowing that the girl's body was left behind, and no one had called an ambulance. He then drove three other men from Maskwacis to Edmonton, including the 27-year-old who's now been sentenced alongside him. The younger man told another person in the car after they started driving, "They were going to move a body but not whose body." The court heard that at the apartment, a different man put the girl's body in a hockey bag and loaded it into the trunk of the car. The group then drove back to Maskwacis. The girl's body was discovered during a police search five days later, on April 28, 2023. Mandziuk said the loss of a child, especially in a such traumatic way, has a profound and lasting impact on the people left behind. "On no level is this acceptable — no level. And it's a cold-hearted action."
Mail & Guardian
27-05-2025
- General
- Mail & Guardian
State seeks life sentence for accused in Joslin Smith kidnapping
Kelly Smith, the mother of Joslin Smith. Sentencing proceedings in the Joslin Smith trial are underway in the Western Cape High Court, with the state calling for life imprisonment for the three accused in the disappearance of the child. On 19 February 2024, then six-year-old Joslin disappeared from her home in the Middelpos informal settlement in Saldanha Bay. Her mother, Kelly Smith, reported the child missing that evening, claiming she had left Joslin in the care of her partner, Jacquin 'Boeta' Appollis. On 2 May, the Western Cape High Court found Smith, Appollis, and their friend, Steveno The state is seeking a life sentence under section 51(1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1977, based on the primary charge of human trafficking. Human trafficking expert Dr Marcel van der Watt was called in as the state's first witness on Tuesday to provide the court with an expert report on trafficking of persons and to assist the court in coming to an appropriate sentence. Testifying in court via Zoom from the US, Van der Watt read out a 28-page report in which he called for the state to prioritise the safety and dignity of victims and people at risk. 'The paradox of a family as both a safe haven and a site of harm is fundamental in understanding violence against children,' he said. 'The reach of trafficking of persons is amplified by organised crime and international syndicates who originate from regions including Africa, Asia, and Europe [and] exploit South Africa's poorest born — children are especially at risk,' he said. Towards the end of his report, Van der Watt shared his expert opinion on Joslin's disappearance, which he called a 'calculated crime by the accused'. 'This case demonstrates clear evidence of planning and premeditation. Accused number 3 [Smith] had devised a plan to sell Joslin as early as August 2023, which indicates significant forethought and intent as the accused had ample time to reconsider and deliberate on the nature of the actions and the consequences for Joslin,' he said. 'This was not a spontaneous act but a calculated crime. The evidence also strongly suggests no other alternative but that Joslin was sold for the purpose of exploitation.' During cross-examination, Van Rhyn's attorney, Nobahle Mkabayi, questioned whether Van der Watt had been compensated for his report. Van der Watt responded: 'Not that I know of — there was a mention of a possibility but, no, I have no intention to request money for this testimony.' Central to the prosecution's case was the testimony of Lourentia Lombaard, initially the fourth co-accused, who turned state witness. Lombaard admitted to withholding information from authorities, attributing her silence to fear, drug use and a promised payment of R1 000 from Smith for her silence. She revealed that Smith allegedly sold Joslin to a sangoma for R20 000, with the child being handed over on 19 February 2024. While Smith, Appollis and Van Rhyn are awaiting their sentences, Judge Erasmus ordered a separate trial for Lombaard to determine whether she should be granted indemnity by the state or not. 'Based on her evidence, I need to hear arguments before I make a ruling. Arguments will be presented by her legal representation,' Erusmus told the court last week. Throughout the trial, the defence challenged the admissibility of confessions from Appollis and Van Rhyn, alleging they were obtained under duress. However, medical examinations and testimony from senior police officers Erasmus criticised Smith for her lack of emotion and failure to testify, suggesting her demeanour indicated awareness of Joslin's fate. Sentencing proceedings in the trial will continue on Wednesday, with the judgment expected to be handed down to the three accused on Thursday 29 May. Thursday's judgment will conclude the trial, which commenced on 3 March 2024 at the Western Cape High Court, held at the Multipurpose Centre in Saldanha Bay.
