Teen girl who killed infant apologizes at her sentencing hearing

The boy was six weeks old when he died of his injuries in a Saskatoon hospital in July 2016. (ShutterStock)

SASKATOON — A teen girl who has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of an infant says she is sorry for what she did.

But the family of Nikosis Cantre says they don’t accept the 17-year-old’s apology that was delivered in court at her sentencing hearing.

The boy was six weeks old when he died of his injuries in a Saskatoon hospital in July 2016.

The judge hearing the case says he will announce his decision on whether to sentence the teen as a youth or adult on Feb 27.

The maximum youth sentence is seven years in custody, the adult sentence would be life in prison with no chance of parole for seven years.

The girl, who was 16 at the time of the murder, can’t be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

“I’m truly sorry for doing this,” she said Friday through tears. “If this happened to my baby I’d be really devastated.”

Earlier in the trial the Crown played a tape of the girl talking with police in which she described how she beat the baby in a rage.

The boy’s parents had brought the girl into their home to help her get off the streets.

Jeffery Longman, the baby’s grandfather, spoke outside court.

“There’s no sorry for what you did,” he said. “Sorry isn’t going to bring him back.”

The court has heard the girl has a long history of violent acts including squeezing the life out of a stolen mouse from a pet store to nearly killing a 10-year-old cousin by giving him morphine pills.