Dad of slain daughters appears in court
Oak Bay father remains in custody after his two girls were found dead on Christmas Day
VICTORIA — An Oak Bay father charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his young daughters on Christmas Day appeared in Victoria provincial court Thursday under heavy sheriff presence.
Andrew Berry, 43, a thin man of medium height with thick dark hair and blue eyes, looked around the courtroom filled with members of the media during his first court appearance. His hand was bandaged but no other injuries were visible.
Berry, who is charged with murdering Chloe, 6, and Aubrey, 4, at his apartment was released from hospital Wednesday, then arrested and charged.
Crown prosecutor Jeni Gillings asked for Berry to be detained in custody.
She also asked Judge Ron Webb to order Berry to have no contact with Sarah Cotton, his former partner and mother of the two girls.
Berry was represented during his brief court appearance by in-custody duty counsel Jamie Dunlap, who asked for a publication ban on the proceedings.
Dunlap asked for the matter to be adjourned until Feb. 1 to allow Berry time to contact and retain counsel.
Sarah Cotton is in the process of planning a funeral for the two girls. Chloe was in Grade 1 at Christ Church Cathedral School. Aubrey went to St Christopher’s Montessori school in Oak Bay, which has preschool and kindergarten classes. The date of the funeral has not been made public.
Cotton is also establishing a memorial fund in their names.
Detectives from the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit are investigating the deaths.
Second degree murder is a deliberate and intentional killing that is carried out without planning. The minimum sentence is life in prison with no possibility of parole for 10 years, but sentences can be as long as life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years.