Woman accused of killing 9-year-old Baeleigh Maurice identified in court records

The woman accused of driving high and killing nine-year-old Baeleigh Maurice has been identified in court documents obtained by Global News.

Taylor Ashley Kennedy, 28, is charged with impaired operation while exceeding the prescribed blood-drug concentration of THC causing death. THC, which stands for tetrahydrocannabinol, is a cannabis compound that causes a person to feel high.

On Sept. 9, 2021, Baeleigh was riding her scooter while using a marked crosswalk on 33rd Street West in Saskatoon when she was hit by a pickup truck. She was pronounced dead in hospital.

Her family released a widely circulated video on social media, showing the moment of impact between the vehicle and the girl.

Baeleigh’s death prompted calls for justice from the girl’s family and their supporters, including rallies outside the Saskatoon Police Service headquarters and Saskatoon City Hall in January.

Six months after the collision, police charged Kennedy on March 11. She was released from custody on a promise to appear in court on April 12.

During a March 17 meeting of Saskatoon’s Board of Police Commissioners, Chief Troy Cooper said there was a “delay” in the investigation due to a forensic crime lab process.

As the case proceeds through the court system, Cooper said police will continue to communicate with Baeleigh’s family and offer victim services support.

Since new cannabis legislation was enacted in 2019, the impaired driving causing death charge against Kennedy is the first of its kind to be laid in Saskatchewan, according to a statement from a provincial government spokesperson.