Dead tot’s mother cross-examined

The mother of a slain Regina toddler spent another day on the witness stand Monday as the trial for the man accused of killing the girl entered a third week.

During nearly five hours of cross- examination, Amanda Trevors denied suggestions by defence lawyer Bob Hrycan that she had crafted her statements to “connect the dots” for police and frame her thenboyfriend Adam Riley Cyr.

“While you’re in that interview room, putting on this show, you are carefully gauging the officer to see if he believes you or not?” Hrycan asked. “No,” Trevors replied.

On trial before a judge and jury, Cyr, 34, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Natalia Shingoose was found dead in her bed on June 21, 2012. It’s alleged she was killed one day earlier while in the care of Cyr as her mother was at work.

Court earlier heard that Shingoose, who would have turned three that July, died from “blunt force trauma,” suffering several broke ribs, a fractured right collarbone, and damage to her lungs and liver.

Hrycan’s cross-examination of Trevors was interspersed with playing clips from her recorded video statements given to police on June 21 and July 3.

Hrycan accused Trevors of altering her statements to fit with police information or planting “seeds of suspicion” to point to Cyr as the culprit — allegations she denied.

In one statement, Trevors said that when she got home from work, Cyr had told her that at one point, he had heard a bang, tripped on something and smashed up his arm going to check on Shingoose, who indicated she was okay. Hrycan grilled Trevors about exactly when she checked on her daughter — who was in bed when she got home — suggesting she would have looked more closely after Cyr’s explanation. But Trevors insisted she had checked on her daughter before that and believed she was asleep. Hrycan questioned whether she was rearranging the order of her story. “That is the way it did happen,” Trevors replied.

Hrycan also questioned statements she made that Cyr had said, “Can I just wake up from this f---ing nightmare.” In her second statement to police, Trevors said Cyr had also added, “They’re going to make us suspects.”

The defence lawyer suggested she had added the phrase to cast suspicion on Cyr, but Trevors denied it, noting he was already a suspect.

Hrycan also focused on Trevors’ statements about a pillowcase and a backpack found in a trash can near her home. Looking at photos with police, Trevors identified the pillowcase as having come from her house and the backpack as her daughter’s. When Hrycan asked if she had planted the evidence, Trevors denied it.

Asked why she was so quick to notice the pillowcase had blood on it and to ask about DNA testing, Trevors replied, “I guess I watch too many CSI shows.”

The jury has heard the pillowcase contained the DNA of Shingoose and Cyr as well as that of an unidentified male.

Trevors will still be on the stand when the trial resumes today.