Woman who hid remains shouldn’t be jailed: lawyer

Attorney argues the accused ‘didn’t murder’ her infants

WINNIPEG— A lawyer for Andrea Giesbrecht says she owes the court no explanation — and deserves no more jail time — for hiding the remains of six infants in a rented Winnipeg storage locker.

“She didn’t murder these children,” Greg Brodsky told provincial court Judge Murray Thompson during Friday’s sentencing hearing.

“You can only sentence her on the (concealment) charges before the court.”

Giesbrecht was arrested in October 2014 after she defaulted on paying rent for a storage locker. Staff opened a plastic bin, noticed a strange smell and called police.

Inside were the decomposed remains of six infants, stuffed in bags and plastic containers. Medical experts testified the infants were Giesbrecht’s, were at or near full-term, and were likely to have been born alive. But because the remains were badly decomposed, it was impossible to determine how the infants died. Giesbrecht was tried on six counts of concealing newborn remains — an offence that carries a maximum penalty of two years for each count.

Giesbrecht’s motive remains a mystery. She did not testify at her trial, and the defence did not call any witnesses.

Brodsky asked Thompson to spare Giesbrecht any more time in custody beyond the 168 days she spent after her initial arrest and when she was granted bail. Crown attorney Debbie Buors asked for an 11-year sentence minus time-served — one year for the earliest infant remains and two years for each of the other five, to be served consecutively.

The judge said he would render his sentencing decision July 14.