A 34-year-old man accused in the stabbing death of a seven-year-old Edmonton girl was assessed by police and mental health professionals just hours before the girl died, police said Friday.
David Moss is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Bella Rose Desrosiers, who died in her home in southeast Edmonton on Monday.
A spokesperson with the Edmonton Police Service confirmed Friday that police were made aware Moss was “experiencing mental concerns” earlier in the day on Monday. The Police and Crisis Team (PACT) was called to Moss’s home where he was assessed by two constables and a mental health professional with Alberta Health Services, Patrycja Mokrzan said.
After the assessment, Moss agreed to attend a doctor’s appointment later in the day, Mokrzan said, but he didn’t show up for that appointment. PACT was made aware of the missed appointment by AHS, police said Friday.
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When PACT left Moss’s home on Monday, police said he had a friend with him who was providing him with support. At some point, Bella Rose’s mom, Melissa Desrosiers — who was friends with Moss — went to his home to speak to him, police said.
That’s when Moss went over to Desrosiers’s home “where the tragic events later occurred,” police said.
Earlier this week, police said Bella Rose died of “sharp force injury” after she was stabbed in her home in the area of 25 Avenue NW and 43 Street NW. Police said the girl was stabbed in front of her mother, who did CPR on the child until paramedics arrive. Bella Rose was pronounced dead at the scene.
Moss was arrested by police at the home on Monday evening.
Earlier this week, Bella Rose’s mother said she had a big heart and cared about those around her.
“Her being was all about heartfelt sincerity. She was always humming and singing her own soul-filled lyrics around the house,” Melissa Desrosiers said Wednesday afternoon.
“What I ask you to focus on is celebrating the beautiful little girl that my daughter Bella Rose was and still is. Like her father, she had a huge, kind heart that truly enjoyed life.”
The Desrosiers family was a family of three; Melissa, Bella, and four-year-old Lily. The children’s father died last summer.
A GoFundMe has been started to support the family, as well as the organizations they have been relying on through this time.
On Friday, the court ordered Moss undergo a 30-day mental fitness assessment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, June 19.
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