A man convicted of the double-murder of a five-year-old girl and her mother wants his convictions overturned and a new trial ordered
In December 2018, a jury found Edward Downey guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sara Baillie and her five-year-old daughter Taliyah Marsman.
Baillie, 34, was found dead inside her northwest Calgary basement suite on July 11, 2016. At that time, Taliyah was missing and police issued an Alberta-wide Amber Alert.
The little girl’s body was found three days later in some bushes outside the city limits.
Alberta’s top court heard Downey’s appeal Thursday morning.
Downey’s defence cited several grounds, including that the trial judge allowed evidence that was prejudicial and erred in their instructions to the jury.
Sara Baillie’s mother and Taliyah’s grandmother Janet Fredette attended the virtual hearing from her home in P.E.I.
She told Global News Thursday that she visits their gravesite often and she just wants the court process to be finished.
“This appeal has been on my mind ever since I heard about it,” Fredette said. “There is no way he deserves another trial, he was found guilty without a reasonable doubt.”
Fredette has been left devastated by this horrific crime and said she can only hope the appeal will be denied.
“My thoughts go to Sara and Taliyah every day and the things he did to her,” Fredette said. “I will never be whole again.”
Downey is sentenced to life in prison and, given the facts of the case, was given consecutive parole ineligibilities.
That means Downey has to serve at least 50 years in prison before he can apply for parole.
The panel reserved its decision.
Downey is also appealing his sentence, that will be heard at a later date
WATCH: Previous coverage of Edward Downey’s trial on Globalnews.ca