The mother of two girls whom police found stabbed on Saturday night in Montreal has been charged with the murder of her 11-year-old daughter and the attempted murder of her five-year-old.
The hearing took place without the suspect at the Montreal courthouse before Quebec Court Judge Geneviève Gratton.
A publication ban is preventing media from naming the accused to protect the identity of both young victims.
A 911 call was made around 6:05 p.m. Saturday regarding the incident that took place in Montreal’s Villeray neighbourhood.
Officers found both girls and they were quickly taken to hospital by ambulance, both in critical condition. Police say the eldest later died of her injuries and the five-year-old is in stable condition.
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Officers said the mother was arrested and also taken to hospital with injuries to her upper body, which they say were self-inflicted.
Police spokesperson Const. Julien Lévesque confirmed to Global News that the 34-year-old suspect is the mother of both young victims. He said investigators of the major-crimes unit will meet with her as soon as her condition allows.
Antoine Ortuso, an emergency supervisor at Urgences-Santé — Montreal’s ambulance service — said the scene was tragic for paramedics.
Ortuso said four people were transported to hospital, but couldn’t confirm if the father of the girls, whom neighbours said they saw outside the apartment building in shock, was the fourth person.
He added that Urgences-Santé staff was also in shock, and said these are the types of traumatic 911 calls that mark a paramedic’s career.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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