LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Sentencing arguments for a couple found guilty of failing to provide the necessaries of life for their toddler son who died of meningitis are to take place next week.
David and Collet Stephan, whose family helped start a nutritional supplements company, were convicted by a jury in April in the 2012 death of 19-month-old Ezekiel.
Court heard the couple thought the boy had croup or the flu, so they treated him with hot peppers, garlic, onions and horseradish — even though a family friend who was a nurse told them she thought Ezekiel had meningitis.
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The defence argued the Stephans were loving, responsible parents who simply didn’t realize how sick their son was.
The prosecution said it was a clear-cut case of the couple failing to seek the medical care that Ezekiel required.
The sentencing hearing is to take place June 23 and 24, but it’s expected the judge will delay his decision until the fall.