Edmonton parents of Baby M facing several charges, including murder

EDMONTON – The parents of two-year-old girl Baby M have now officially been charged with her murder.

The husband and wife, who cannot be identified because of a court-ordered publication ban, are scheduled to appear in court Friday where they will face upgraded charges including second-degree murder and criminal negligence causing death, Alberta Justice confirmed Thursday morning.

The 34-year-old Algerian immigrants are in custody awaiting trial on charges they abused and starved the dead girl and her twin sister, who were then 27 months old. Their brother was found unharmed.

The parents – who have been at the Edmonton Remand Centre since May 2012 – now face charges of second-degree murder, criminal negligence causing death, failure to provide the necessities of life, aggravated assault and criminal negligence causing bodily harm. The last charge is related to the girl’s twin sister, who has been released from hospital and now lives in foster care with her brother.

None of the children can be identified.

The twin referred to in court documents as Baby M never recovered from her severe injuries. On Sept. 20, 2012, the girl was taken off life-support at the Stollery Children’s Hospital only hours after the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed an application for a stay of a court order to stop life-saving measures.

The parents instructed doctors to do everything necessary to keep their daughter alive, short of reviving her after cardiac arrest.

In an affidavit, the father said his faith and love for his daughter kept him from allowing her to die.

Alberta Children and Youth Services requested that the courts take over the girl’s care. When that request succeeded and was not overturned on appeal, the child was removed from her ventilator.

A court order allowed the parents to visit their daughter a final time at her hospital bed.

The girl had spent four months in a coma and doctors testified there was no hope she would recover.

The parents have twice been denied bail. A preliminary hearing in the case has been tentatively set for June.