A woman is to be sentenced on Thursday after her two dogs attacked and killed an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton in 2024.
Crystal MacDonald was found guilty in May of criminal negligence causing death after Kache Grist was fatally attacked by her two Cane Corsos.
On Wednesday, court heard that MacDonald felt remorse, saying since Kache was killed, she has carried guilt, grief and shame.
“I think about him every single day,” MacDonald told the court.
Kache, who lived with his mother in B.C., was visiting his father, Wesley, in the Summerside neighbourhood of south Edmonton over spring break. Wesley was living with MacDonald as a roommate at the time.
In his May decision, Alberta Court of King’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin said he found MacDonald to be “evasive and defensive whenever her actions were questioned.”
During the trial, MacDonald said she told Wesley repeatedly to not leave Kache alone with the dogs.
Before Kache was killed, the dogs had killed two pets and injured three adults, including MacDonald.
Wesley said he had let Kache go into the house to play a video game while he was working in the garage. When Wesley went inside about 45 minutes later, he found his son in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor surrounded by the two dogs.
An autopsy found Kache died from bite injuries to the neck. The dogs have since been euthanized.
Macklin said MacDonald did not do enough to prevent Kache from being harmed by the two “untrained, dangerous, vicious and unpredictable Cane Corso dogs.”
Divide between sentencing requests
Wednesday’s sentencing hearing showed a wide divide between what the Crown and MacDonald’s lawyers feel is an appropriate punishment.
The defence is asking that the court consider a conditional sentencing of two years less a day of house arrest with exceptions, as well as 200 hours of community service.
A five-year sentence and lifetime dog ownership ban is sought by the Crown.
The charge of criminal negligence causing death has no mandatory sentence.
Kache’s family was given a chance to address the court Wednesday afternoon. His father says Kache was “the most important person” in his life.
“He was my son, my best friend and a huge part of my identity,” he said in his impact statement, which was read to the court by video from Yukon.
But despite his grief, Wesley urged the court not to send MacDonald to prison.
“The court has legal responsibilities and sentencing considerations they must follow, and I respect that,” he said.
“I also feel compelled to express honestly that I do not personally believe additional suffering, incarceration or destruction will heal what has already happened.”
Crown prosecutor Anders Quist said the judge must consider the previous dog attacks as well as Kache’s final moments.
“There are many ways a human life can be ended,” he said. “Being bitten to death by two large dogs is on the more terrifying end of the spectrum.”
Defence lawyer Evan McIntyre said a conditional sentence would adequately denounce MacDonald’s crime and deter future incidents.
McIntyre also disputed the Crown’s suggestion that because MacDonald is appealing her conviction, she does not feel true remorse for Kache’s death.
Macklin is to deliver the sentence Thursday at 2 p.m.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson and The Canadian Press
