A Quebec mother convicted in the killings of her two young daughters violated the trust they’d placed in her to keep them safe, a Crown prosecutor said Friday as he recommended Adele Sorella serve 14 years before becoming eligible for parole.
READ MORE: Adele Sorella found guilty of second-degree murder in daughters’ deaths
Prosecutor Simon Lapierre told a courtroom in Laval, Que., that protecting young children is one of society’s foremost values, and the failure to do so must be denounced in the strongest terms.
“In murdering (her daughters), she breached their trust in a way that is extremely serious,” Lapierre said during Sorella’s sentencing hearing.
On March 5, a jury found the 53-year-old guilty of two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of her daughters, Amanda, 9, and Sabrina, 8. The girls were found dead in the family home in Laval on March 31, 2009.
READ MORE: Quebec mother accused of killing daughters says she has ‘no recollection of what happened’
Lapierre noted the absence of victim impact statements at the sentencing but said that didn’t mean the girls’ death hadn’t caused her family great pain.
“Even if nobody came to testify on the consequences of the crime, it’s clear that these crimes had an important, a devastating effect on the family,” he said.
A second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole for at least 10 years.
When it came time for the defence to present its arguments, one of Sorella’s lawyers noted the fragility of his client’s mental state and the fact that she poses no risk to society.
Pierre Poupart cited a number of previous judicial decisions that suggested an exemplary sentence serves little purpose in cases when mental illness is a factor.
WATCH BELOW: Jury selection in Laval murder trial
Sorella testified during her trial that she had little memory of the day when her daughters were found dead. And medical experts testifying for the defence said Sorella experienced a dissociative episode the day of the killings.
The defence’s arguments are set to continue Friday afternoon.
Sorella’s lawyers are appealing her conviction, arguing the verdicts were unreasonable and not supported by the evidence.
READ MORE: Laval woman accused of killing her children testifies in court