'Why would I hurt my own son?': Regina manslaughter trial hears father's interview with police
It was a tearful start to the third day of Catlin Goodwill’s manslaughter trial.
The accused, along with some family members in the gallery, sat crying as court watched a video recording of Goodwill’s interview with police the day after he had been arrested and charged with manslaughter.
Goodwill, 33, is accused of causing the death of his three-month-old son in October 2017.
Nearly two years later, the father was arrested and charged in August 2019.
Regina Police Service SSgt. Pierre Beauchesne, who was one of the primary investigators in the case, testified at the trial on Wednesday. He led court through a recorded interview he conducted with Goodwill the day after his arrest.
The baby’s mother had left him home alone with Goodwill the day he died. Goodwill admitted to police that he was the only one who held the boy that day, even after the mother returned home.
“He was in my care and I was watching him,” Goodwill told police during the interview.
Autopsy results show the infant died from blunt force trauma to the head. An expert witness previously testified that the injury would have taken place a few hours before the death.
“There would be no other person in contact or who would have been able to be in contact with (the infant) to cause that death and it was not natural,” Beauchesne told Goodwill in the interview.
“A stranger didn’t just come into the house and do this.”
Beauchesne told court police operated on a couple of different theories during the investigation.
One theory was Goodwill hit the baby’s head on a swinging seat when the father placed his son back down after changing his diaper. Shaken Baby Syndrome was another theory.
One of the neuropathologists who consulted on the autopsy previously testified the infant’s injuries were consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome. However, he said that could not be confirmed.
Beauchesne interviewed Goodwill for about 40 minutes. In that time, the father could not give an explanation for his son’s injuries.
“I didn’t do nothing to hurt him,” he said. “Why would I hurt my own kid? Why would I hurt my own son?”
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Bruce Campbell questioned why it took police nearly two years to lay charges against Goodwill.
Beauchesne told Campbell “death investigations sometimes take several months if not years.”
The investigator said he did not receive the final autopsy report until December 2018. He told court it then takes time to review the documents and information before making the decision to lay a charge.
The Crown called its final witness in the case Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. Juliet Soper is a paediatrician who works in the area of child maltreatment. Police asked for her expert opinion during their investigation.
During testimony, Soper agreed that the baby’s head trauma was likely caused by an acceleration and deceleration motion similar to shaking or whiplash received in a car crash.
She added that the brain bleed could have occurred without impact. However, the bruise found on the back of the infant’s skull suggests there was some sort of impact to the boy’s head.
“Any bruising of a baby this age raises a question of how it happened,” Soper told court, adding the infant could not have caused these injuries on its own.
According to Soper, children with fatal head injuries often show symptoms immediately, including loss of consciousness.
“Any injury that results in the child dying is extremely significant. It’s the worst outcome,” Soper said.
“If you’ve suffered a fatal brain injury it would be obvious to the people looking after you.”
Soper told court she could not conclusively determine a timeline or cause of injury based on the information she had reviewed.
The defence is expected to call a neuropathologist as its only expert witness Thursday afternoon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Spain abolishes national bullfighting award in cultural shift
Spain scrapped an annual bullfighting award on Friday, prompting a rebuke from conservatives over a backlash against a centuries-old tradition they see as an art form but which has run into growing concern for animal welfare.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.