The mother of a seven-year-old girl found dead in a Langley condo in July 2018 is now facing a first-degree murder charge.
The BC Prosecution Service confirmed Friday that Kerryann Sharmilla Lewis’s charge had been upgraded from second-degree murder.
She’s expected to next appear in Surrey Provincial Court on Jan. 30.
Homicide investigators were called to the condo complex at 20053 68 Ave. on July 22 where Aaliyah Rosa’s body was found.
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At the time, investigators had said that a woman who “was involved with the investigation” was under medical care. Neighbours told Global News that a middle-aged woman had been seen being wheeled out of the building by paramedics.
Court documents show that Lewis had once been the subject of a restraining order and that she required supervision for visits with her daughter.
In 2016, Aaliyah’s father had sole custody of her and Lewis was not allowed within 500 metres of the child’s home or school.
Lewis was granted supervised visits in Feb. 2017, and unsupervised visits by May 2018.
At the time of the investigation, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Aaliyah’s death was an isolated incident and that “investigators have a firm understanding of what happened and we don’t believe that the public is in any danger.”
-With files from Jon Azpiri and Terry Schintz