Releasing child killing details an option: police

EDMONTON – Edmonton police have started mending fences with Crown prosecutors after a public dispute in the case of a dead child, but the conflict may not be over.

Chief Warren Driechel says police are waiting to see what sentence is imposed before deciding whether to take the unusual step of releasing more details in the killing so the public can determine if justice has been served.

A 29-year-old woman charged with second-degree murder pleaded guilty last month to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the killing of the eight-year-old girl.

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The child’s body was found in a hockey bag in the back of a truck on the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, south of Edmonton, in 2023.

Days before the plea, police issued a public letter under Driechel’s name calling on the Crown to scrap a planned plea deal with the woman for an eight-year-sentence.

The letter, which also includes a threat to release details of the case, ignited a public debate over police and prosecutor roles in the justice system.

Driechel says the force penned the letter to highlight ongoing poor communications between prosecutors and police.