Trial begins for woman charged with murder of friend’s toddler inside CAS building

Shania John was in disbelief when she learned her three-year-old son Yverson Belotte Junior, also known as Quintanni or Quinn, had died in December 2023.

In a series of direct messages on Instagram between John and Shardanae Cousins-Emily shown at the opening day of the second-degree murder trial for Cousins-Emily, John accused her of killing her son and questioned her about what happened as she tried to understand how her son died while in the care of a woman she considered a sister.

“You killed my baby. I trusted you. Why you chose to kill my baby and not your own,” John wrote in a message to Cousins-Emily on Dec. 4, 2023.

Cousins-Emily replied in a text a few hours later, “I am in shock myself because when we went to bed together and he was fine. I woke up in the middle of the night and he was sleeping and fine. When I woke up later in the morning, I realized he wasn’t moving or breathing; I ran to one of my neighbours for help and we preformed (sic) CPR until the paramedics came.”

Cousins-Emily told John that she spent the rest of the day and night at the police station where she was questioned by police.

“I’ve been crying so much since and not sure what to do, but I promise I didn’t cause any harm to him. Earlier in the day, on Saturday, he was playing and happy with my son at the CAS (Children’s Aid Society) office. He did trip and fall at one point, but he was fine after that,” Cousins-Emily added.

In her opening address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Rochelle Liberman said that John entrusted Cousins-Emily with her son for the weekend and dropped the boy off on the night of Friday, Dec. 1 at Cousins-Emily’s apartment at 418 Dawest Rd.

Liberman said on Dec. 2nd, Cousins-Emily went to the Children’s Aid Society for a scheduled visit with her own son and because she was looking after Quintanni, she took him with her.

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“A few hours after the visit with her own son was over, she took Quintanni into the washroom at the CAS. While in the washroom, Ms. Cousins-Emily inflicted blunt force trauma to Quintanni’s head,” said Liberman.

Liberman said the prosecution will be presenting evidence to show that Cousins-Emily murdered Quintanni by causing blunt head trauma to the boy.

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Among the witnesses who are expected to testify is a security guard who was working at the CAS building on Dec. 2, 2023, and who was present when Cousins-Emily was there with Quintanni to visit her son.

“You will hear Ms. Cousins-Emily took Quintanni into the washroom at the CAS and you will hear how long they were inside the washroom. You will hear about the injury when she exited the washroom. (The guard) will likely tell you how he asked Ms. Cousins-Emily if he could call an ambulance for Quintanni and Ms. Cousins-Emily said no,” Liberman added.

Liberman said the security guard will testify about what Quinn looked like as he exited and said photographs the guard took of the washroom will be shown.

Two forensic pathologists are also expected to give evidence about the injuries found on Quintanni and are expected to provide an opinion that based on the pattern and distribution of the injuries, it’s highly suggestive they are “inflictive injuries.”

Cousins-Emily has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

Her lawyer, Jacob Stilman, told Superior Court Justice Kelly Byrne that his client pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Byrne responded that Crown prosecutors rejected that plea.

Shania John, 23, testified she met Cousins-Emily while the two were foster sisters when she was 12 years old. Cousins-Emily, who is now 24, was the only person other than her grandmother who John testified she left Quintanni with. John also said she and Quintanni had gone to stay with Cousins-Emily on three separate occasions for weeks at a time, when she would argue with Quintanni’s father. Cousins-Emily also had two children herself.

John said she was aware that over the weekend, while Cousins-Emily was taking care of Quintanni, the plan was for her to visit her own son at the CAS and Quintanni would be accompanying her on the visit.

John agreed with Stilman, who suggested Cousins-Emily treated Quintanni like her own son. When asked during cross-examination if she knew if Cousins-Emily had a problem with alcohol, John replied she didn’t think she drank regularly.

“I don’t know her to drink to the point where she could kill a baby,” said John.

A volunteer and a case worker from the CAS who were working that day and saw Cousins-Emily come in with Quintanni also testified.

Anastasia Blokhina was volunteering at the CAS on Isabella Street and told the court when Cousins-Emily arrived, she didn’t notice any injuries on Quinn.

Case worker Nibras Safar Allawardi said Cousins-Emily told her the boy she brought to the supervised visit with her son was her nephew. Allawardi said at one point Cousins-Emily left the building and the two children behind with the CAS before returning to the site.

During cross-examination, Stilman asked if she smelled any alcohol on Cousins-Emily or thought she was impaired. Allawardi said did not. Stilman also asked if she had any concerns about her mental health.

“If I had concerns about impairment or mental health, I would have removed both children from her care,” said Allawardi.

The trial is expected to continue for five weeks.