Mother of toddler found dead outside Edmonton church says she can’t forgive

The mother of a toddler whose lifeless body was found outside a church says she doesn’t think she’ll ever forgive the people responsible for her son’s death.

Dalyce Raine’s victim impact statement was read at a sentencing hearing Monday for Tasha-Lee Doreen Mack, who has been convicted of manslaughter.

The child’s father, Joey Crier, has also been found guilty of manslaughter in a separate trial.

Anthony Joseph Raine was 19 months old when he was found dead outside Edmonton’s Good Shepherd Anglican Church in April 2017.

“I entrusted the care of my son to Joey and I thought he was in good care,” Dalyce Raine said in her statement Monday. “I trusted this guy with my son and I didn’t want to believe it that my son was gone. “Nobody knows how much I miss him.” Raine, who said Mack and Crier took so much from her, questioned why Crier didn’t bring Anthony back to her.

“He would have been five years old next year,” said Raine. “I wish I could say ‘Happy Birthday’ to your face instead of your grave.

“I wish I could see his face and see his smile one more time.”

Raine said she doesn’t wish hate on Mack or Crier, but she said they deserve to be behind bars.

“You should not be able to be free,” she said in her statement. “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you people for what you did.”

Mack’s trial heard that Anthony went from being a chunky, happy boy to “skin and bones” in a matter of months.

Court was told he suffered abuse before a fatal blow to his head and his abandonment at the church.

There was no evidence Mack struck Anthony, but Justice Rob Graesser said in his manslaughter verdict that there was “ample evidence he was struck in her presence ... (and) she did nothing to stop it.”

Crown prosecutor Monica Sabo, suggesting Mack failed to help Anthony and even took steps to lie after his death, asked for a 10- to 12-year sentence.

“This was a prolonged and conscious decision by Ms. Mack,” Sabo said. “Ms. Mack did nothing.”

Defence lawyer Ajay Juneja said his client’s sentence should be six years because she has severe psychological issues.

“Ms. Mack clearly has intellectual impairments that contributed to what happened,” her lawyer said.

In a statement to the court, Mack said she couldn’t explain why she did what she did.

“I don’t know why,” she said between sobs. “It was like an out-of-body experience. “I don’t know why I did it. It’s not me. I love kids.”

Graesser said he expected to give his sentencing decision for Mack later in the afternoon.

Crier has not yet been sentenced, but a judge has said he will reduce Crier’s overall sentence, because he has been assaulted in jail and spends much of his time in segregated custody.