TORONTO – A coroner’s inquest into the death of five-year-old Jeffrey Baldwin is scheduled to start Monday, more than a decade after the boy’s death at the hands of his grandparents. Here is a chronology of notable dates in Jeffrey’s life and events that led up to his death.
1970: A 19-year-old Elva Bottineau is sentenced to one year of probation for assaulting her five-month-old daughter Eva, who had died of pneumonia.
1978: Norman Kidman is convicted of assaulting two of Bottineau’s children from a previous relationship.
1998: The Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto gives Bottineau and Kidman custody of four of their grandchildren, including Jeffrey.
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Nov. 30, 2002: Jeffrey dies, weeks shy of his sixth birthday, of septic shock from malnutrition and bacterial pneumonia that was caused by sleeping in his own waste. He weighed 21 pounds — one pound less than he did on his first birthday.
Sept. 8, 2005: The trial begins for Bottineau and Kidman. They plead not guilty to first-degree murder.
April 7, 2006: Bottineau and Kidman are convicted of second-degree murder in what police described as one of the worst cases of child abuse Canada has ever seen.
June 9, 2006: Bottineau and Kidman are sentenced to serve at least 22 and 20 years, respectively, of their life sentences before they are eligible for parole.
March 3, 2011: The Court of Appeal for Ontario dismisses Bottineau and Kidman’s appeals. Bottineau’s lawyer had argued she wasn’t smart enough to realize Jeffrey would die. Kidman had asked the court to quash his murder conviction and instead send him to prison for manslaughter.
Jan. 19, 2012: The Supreme Court of Canada decided not to hear an appeal from Bottineau.
Sept. 9, 2013: A coroner’s inquest into Jeffrey’s death is scheduled to start. It’s expected to hear testimonies from 35 witnesses and last three months.
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