On Oct. 15, 2017, an unnamed 27-year-old Quebec woman, arrived at a hospital “in distress.” Examination revealed she had recently given birth, a fact that the woman denied. Doctors notified the Deux-Montagnes police of the suspicious woman. Her home was visited by police, where they found evidence that was suspicious. The case was transferred over to Sûreté du Québec (provincial police) investigators found the remains of three newborns, from three different pregnancies. The woman was arrested on November 1, 2017 and, on the following day was arraigned at the St-Jérôme courthouse, charged with: three counts of first-degree murder, corruption of a child (her 3-year-old daughter), failing to provide the necessaries of life, and disposing of the dead body of a child with the intent to conceal delivery.
On July 24, 2019, the mother pleaded guilty to lesser charges: one count of manslaughter, two counts of concealing the body of a child, and one count of failing to provide the necessaries of life.
At the sentencing hearing of Oct. 25, 2019, in which she was given 8 years of prison (3 of them already served) – it was learned that she was known to be a compulsive liar since childhood. "My biggest fear now is the day you will be released, knowing that you will spread your poison again," the child's grandmother told the court. The unnamed unmarried father of the victims testified that "She's not violent or abusive, she's worse than that; she's a liar and a manipulator.”
As in so many of such cases, despite its seeming impossibility – the father of the murdered newborns had not been aware his girlfriend was pregnant.
[Robert St. Estephe, Sep. 12, 2019, based on sources cited below]
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CHRONOLOGY
1990 – Unnamed “Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac Mother” born.
2014 – daughter born; allowed to live.
Dec. 3, 2014 – “two deaths occurred between Dec. 3, 2014, and February 2017.”
2015 – first of three murders.
Oct. 2017 – third murder.
Oct. 15, 2017 – the woman, who had recently given birth, went to a hospital in St-Eustache “in distress”; she denied having given birth; since the baby was not with her, doctors contacted Deux-Montagnes police.
Oct. 16, 2017 – Sûreté du Québec (provincial police) investigators found the remains of three newborns, from three different pregnancies.
Nov. 1, 2017 – Mother (27) arrested.
Nov. 2, 2017 – arraigned; charged with three counts of first-degree murder. She has also been charged with the corruption of a child, failing to provide the necessaries of life, and disposing of the dead body of a child with the intent to conceal delivery. St-Jérôme courthouse.
Jul. 24, 2019 – pleads guilty to one count of manslaughter, two counts of concealing the body of a child, and one count of failing to provide the necessaries of life
Oct. 25, 2019 – sentenced to 8 years.
[Jesse Feith, Michelle Lalonde, “Woman faces murder charges in deaths of three of her babies,” Montreal Gazette, Nov 03, 2017
[Rachel Lau and Amy Luft, “Quebec mother sentenced to eight years in prison for the deaths of three of her newborns,” CTV News, Oct. 25, 2019]
[“Mother pleads guilty to manslaughter in deaths of 3 newborns in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Que. CBC News, Jul. 24, 2019]
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