'Mommy is sorry': Regina woman guilty of killing her toddler accepts responsibility during sentencing submissions
Warning: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing
A Regina woman wishes she could take back her actions that killed her toddler in June 2021. During sentencing submissions, Brittney Burghardt told court that she failed her kids and takes full responsibility.
Burghardt, 28, previously pleaded guilty to forcible confinement and manslaughter in the death of her two-year-old daughter, Kassie. She was initially charged with second-degree murder.
The Crown wants to see Burghardt spend a total of at least 12 years in prison for her offences. The defence argued for a lesser sentence of two years in custody given her reduced cognitive capacity and lower moral blameworthiness.
Autopsy results confirm Kassie died from blunt force trauma to the head in June 2021, one month before her third birthday.
Kassie suffered the injury after being repeatedly thrown into a wall by her mother, according to an agreed statement of facts between the Crown and defence.
“If I had the chance to go back, I would stop, think and change my actions for the better for her and her brother and sister,” Burghardt said in court while reading a statement she wrote.
“I wish I could have one more chance to see her again, to tell her how much mommy misses her and to have that chance to give her hugs and tell her that mommy loves her and that mommy is sorry.”
The Crown submitted text messages between Burghardt and her partner, Justin Anderson, that show the couple viewed Kassie as a “brat”, “burden” and “problem child” compared to Burghardt’s other two children.
“When she had enough of her daughter’s misbehavior, she killed her,” said Crown prosecutor Chris White.
On the morning of June 9, 2021, Kassie refused to stand in the corner of her room for a timeout, according to the facts presented in court. Burghardt became frustrated and threw her daughter into the corner, hitting Kassie’s head on the wall.
Burghardt said the girl then “glared at me,” which is when the mother threw her daughter against the wall a few more times before Kassie collapsed and became unresponsive.
Before calling 911, Burghardt contacted Anderson to tell him what happened. The couple concocted a plan to tell police the girl accidentally tripped and fell down the stairs.
A little over an hour after Kassie had been hurt, Burghardt finally called EMS.
Paramedics responded to the home on the 2300 block of Retallack Street. Kassie was taken to hospital before being airlifted to Saskatoon. She was pronounced brain dead on June 11, but kept on life support to ensure her organs could be donated.
Court heard that in the weeks leading up to Kassie’s death, Burghardt had been taping her daughter’s wrists and legs down to the bed every time she went to sleep for a nap and at night.
“She was physically bound. I would submit to you that is the worst kind of confinement,” White said.
White told court it was Anderson’s idea to tape down Kassie, and Burghardt followed along. The couple later progressed to blindfolding the girl as well.
“It’s her duty as a mother to care for her and to protect her from harm, not subject her to it,” White said.
“She failed spectacularly in the duty she owed to that child.”
According to defence lawyer Thomas Hynes, Burghardt has always had significant cognitive deficits and problems with her parenting abilities. A psychological assessment shows she has a moderate intellectual disability.
Burghardt was 26 at the time of her daughter’s death, but Hynes argued that she operates similar to a youth due to her reduced cognitive functions.
“Brittney’s capacity is a lot lower than a lot of other offenders that come before the court,” Hynes said.
Burghardt had been receiving at-home support through a Ranch Ehrlo program that brought workers into her home 40 hours a week to help her care for her three children.
However, Hynes said the support stopped in March 2021 when the provincial government cut the program’s funding. He suggested that was the tipping point for the events leading up to Kassie’s death.
Hynes told court Burghardt is “not able to parent three young children without sufficient supports in place.”
Burghardt’s other two children have been apprehended. She is not currently in custody.
“Brittney takes full responsibility for what she’s done,” Hynes said. “She’s extremely remorseful.”
Hynes argued for a significantly lower sentence similar to that of a manslaughter sentence handed down to a youth. He suggested a two-year sentence in a minimum-security institution for manslaughter and three years of probation for forcible confinement.
“We are asking for an extraordinarily unique sentence in this case because Brittney’s circumstances are extraordinarily unique,” Hynes said.
The Crown asked for a prison sentence of at least 10 years for the manslaughter conviction and a two-year sentence for forcible confinement. White suggested the sentences should be served consecutively for a total of 12 years.
Justice Beverly Klatt will now consider both the Crown and defence’s arguments before delivering her final sentencing decision on this June 16.
Anderson has also pleaded guilty to forcible confinement. He is scheduled back in court for sentencing submissions on March 27.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.