Neurological report ordered for teen who killed baby

Possibility of fetal alcohol syndrome

A neurological report has been ordered to determine if the 16-yearold girl who pleaded guilty to killing baby Nikosis Jace Cantre suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome.

The report was ordered Thursday in Saskatoon youth court for the girl, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

She pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder in the baby’s July 3, 2016 death. A sentencing hearing has been set for two days in June, when some evidence will likely still be called even if the neurological report is not ready by then.

In March, the teen also pleaded guilty to escaping lawful custody on July 2, 2016. Court heard she left her open custody facility in Saskatoon the day before she was arrested for killing six-week-old Nikosis. Judge Marilyn Gray accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defence, sentencing the teen to 120 days in custody for the escape.

Staff saw the girl run outside and found a note by her door indicating she was homesick, court heard. The defence said she was also being teased by others on her ward.

According to Saskatoon police, the teen was serving a 10-month open custody sentence at the Kilburn Hall youth facility when she ran away at 12:45 a.m. At 12:48 a.m., police were notified and an alert was issued to all cars and patrol officers, advising them to be on the lookout for her. A warrant for the teen’s arrest was issued around 2:30 a.m.

The family of Nikosis has said the teen was wandering the city streets on the morning of July 2 when family members saw her and invited her into their Waterloo Crescent home.

The girl was arrested on July 3 after family members found the injured baby in the home around 7 a.m. Nikosis subsequently died at Royal University Hospital.

Last month, Crown prosecutor Jennifer Claxton-Viczko said lawyers were still waiting on the completion of a Gladue report examining her background.