Sherman Robert Whitford, 37, has been found guilty of manslaughter in the death of 16-month-old Veronica Poitras.
Sherman Robert Whitford, 37, has been found guilty of manslaughter in the death of 16-month-old Veronica Poitras.
Facing a charge of second-degree murder, Whitford was found not guilty on that count, but guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter with the judgement handed down Nov. 25 evening in a St. Paul courtroom.
The little girl was taken from her mother's Cold Lake apartment to the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre across the street just after 7 p.m. Aug. 26, 2017. Soon after, she was rushed to an Edmonton hospital. She was taken off life support and pronounced dead Aug. 29.
Her death was ruled a homicide on Sept. 8, 2017. Whitford, her mother's boyfriend, was charged in October, 2017.
Following the verdict being handed down last week, Veronica's family members have taken an "it is what it is" stance, acknowledging that nothing will bring back the little girl who lit up their world.
"Our Justice system does what it does, and as the Major Crimes officer said after the verdict was in and we were leaving the court room, at the end of the day 'nothing will bring her back'," said Alison Poitras, kohkom to Veronica, through an emailed statement sent to the St. Paul Journal. "I will never forget that statement as the last one I would hear when all was said and done."
The verdict was delivered following two weeks of testimony. A pre-sentencing report along with that of a Gladue report is scheduled for March 30, 2020. A Gladue report , also a pre-sentencing report, considers the Indigenous background of a convicted offender in applying sentencing.
"We would like to thank all those that worked so diligently to help us attain the justice that we did receive," says Poitras, adding, "Now our baby can soar with the eagles and her beautiful little soul can be free to fly the heavens with our grandmothers and grandfathers. We will continue to honour baby and acknowledge our love for her by listening to our hearts and celebrating her every day with memories, meals, and laughter. She may have been here a short time, but we will love her until we meet her again. She will always be missed and she will always be remembered and loved," said Poitras in the statement sent to the Journal.
In regards to the sentencing, family members have already submitted victim impact statements and are hoping for a life sentence.
"No one on Earth is above the law and no one deserves to be free after killing an innocent baby," says Poitras. "Furthermore, his sentence needs to consider our Natural Laws. We as nehiyaw people of this land have our own justice system and this system needs to be considered in all facets of the law that are in effect today."
In closing, Poitras believes change needs to happen.
"Our children deserve to be safe and secure."
Manslaughter carries no minimum sentence and can range from probation to life imprisonment.
Since Veronica's death, family members from Goodfish Lake and Saddle Lake have paid tribute to a life cut short with a memorial walk from St. Brides to Goodfish Lake in the springtime, the time of her birth April 17.
