A legal trial held greater than three years after the demise of a three-year-old Regina lady was over in simply minutes on Monday, leading to an acquittal of the accused.
Zoey Hancock was discovered unresponsive at a northeast Regina dwelling daycare on the morning of March 20, 2018. Ashley Longworth, who pleaded not responsible to a ensuing depend of manslaughter charged in February 2020, was acquitted by Choose Timothy Keene of the Regina Courtroom of Queen’s Bench.
“It’s troublesome to convey in phrases the aid our shopper feels given the results of the case, whereas additionally acknowledging the ache the household of the deceased nonetheless feels,” protection counsel Darren Kraushaar mentioned in an emailed assertion, including that an ongoing publication ban prevents him from additional remark.
“That is clearly a horrible and tragic state of affairs. There isn’t a lot we are able to say given the publication ban on the voir dire.”
Quickly after the trial started, Crown Prosecutor Christopher White introduced he wouldn’t be calling any proof whereas resting his case on Monday.
It was removed from the consequence Zoey’s mom was praying for.
Chatting with World Information after the listening to, Debbie Hancock mentioned “my coronary heart is totally damaged.”
“I’m clearly harm. This went on for 3 and a half years for all of it to steer as much as nothing. I sort of really feel like my daughter’s demise was simply one other stack of papers on somebody’s desk,” mentioned Debbie, whose daughter would have turned seven this week.
“My daughter’s birthday is Wednesday and I get to sit down along with her stays and I get to cry.”
The Regina Police Service didn’t announce that they had been investigating Zoey’s 2018 demise as a murder till February 12, 2020, when Longworth was charged.
Longworth was launched on the time on situations of protecting the peace and good habits. She was not in custody previous to Monday’s trial.
In a related press release, the RPS famous being referred to as to a Regina hospital at 12:25 p.m. after Zoey was pronounced deceased. In response to the discharge, a 9-1-1 name was positioned at 9:45 a.m. that day indicating {that a} three-year-old was unresponsive. It provides that “EMS was dispatched and administered emergency care to the kid earlier than transporting the lady to hospital.”
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Woman charged in 2020 death of Saskatoon toddler
That, Debbie mentioned, is the place Zoey died in her arms at 12:17 p.m.
“My life ended that day, along with her in that room.”
Debbie remembered Zoey as her “greatest buddy” and a foolish, animal-loving toddler who beloved to go to animal shelters to pet the cats and canine.
The Regina Police Service confirmed to World Information in 2020 that Longworth was working an unlicensed daycare and “didn’t maintain employment because it associated to the care or supervision of kids.”
A consultant of the Regina Courtroom of Queen’s Bench has knowledgeable World Regina that the attorneys and decide concerned within the trial are reviewing the publication ban. An replace is predicted this week.
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