ASIRT to probe unprecedented conduct of Edmonton police in child manslaughter case - BERITAJA

Alberta’s constabulary watchdog has been directed to analyse the Edmonton’s force’s unprecedented nationalist shaming of the Crown during an progressive criminal lawsuit — a move the judge said influenced the sentence.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team connected Thursday announced it’s investigating allegations arising from a missive sent by the Edmonton Police Service to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service past fall.

That’s erstwhile Edmonton police said, for the first clip successful its history, it had sent a missive to Alberta Justice requesting a reappraisal of a determination by the Crown to judge a manslaughter plea “for the horrific execution of a child.”

The accused, Ashley Rattlesnake, was initially charged pinch first-degree execution and causing an indignity to the assemblage of eight-year-old Nina Napope, but accepted a plea woody past autumn to the lesser complaint of manslaughter.

In the Sept. 8, 2025 letter, the EPS threatened that if the Crown did not alteration course, constabulary would merchandise their ain specifications of the lawsuit truthful it could beryllium judged successful the tribunal of nationalist opinion.

‘Miscarriage of justice’: Edmonton constabulary entity to manslaughter plea

In its September letter, the Edmonton Police Service said its officers conducted an extended investigation and obtained important evidence, resulting successful an almost 80-page summary by homicide detectives that depicted “significant kid maltreatment and capable grounds to warrant to our officers reasonable grounds to complaint the accused pinch first-degree murder.”

Manslaughter is erstwhile personification causes different person’s decease but didn’t intend to do so, while first- and second-degree execution charges bespeak the crime was premeditated. They besides each travel pinch different lengths of sentences.

Edmonton constabulary said accepting the plea would beryllium a miscarriage of justness successful what it called an “extreme kid abuse” and “egregious homicide” file.

The missive signed by Chief Warren Driechel was sent by EPS ineligible and regulatory services head Megan Hankewich to Kim Goddard, the provincial adjunct lawman justness curate and cc’d to Justice Minister Mickey Amery.

The missive challenged the accepted firewall that separates police, who analyse a case, from prosecutors, who find really champion to proceed pinch the lawsuit successful court.

What happened astatine sentencing?

On Feb. 27, Rattlesnake was sentenced to 8 years successful situation for manslaughter, little 4.25 years for clip already served.

It intends Rattlesnake, now 30, will walk 3 years and 9 months successful prison. She had nary grounds earlier being arrested for Nina’s death.

At that time, Justice Jody Fraser identified imaginable misconduct associated pinch the letter.

Frasier said the EPS actions were reprehensible, lacked integrity and whitethorn person crossed the statement of attempting to subvert justice. They said location needs to beryllium separation betwixt constabulary and the courts.

“Their actions spell truthful acold beyond what is acceptable conduct, it should beryllium considered a somewhat mitigating facet connected sentence,” Fraser said erstwhile knocking a twelvemonth disconnected the original nine-year sentence.

In determining the sentence, Fraser said aggravating factors included Rattlesnake being successful a position of spot complete a young, susceptible Indigenous child, who suffered maltreatment nether the woman.

Calls for investigation into EPS letter

The Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association (CTLA) called retired EPS for the letter, saying it was an highly inappropriate extortion tactic.

In April, some the CTLA and a retired Mountie called for a third-party investigation into imaginable criminal behaviour by the constabulary main and his apical departmental lawyer.

They asked Amery to nonstop the Police Review Commission (PRC) to analyse whether location is capable grounds to prosecute charges.

The state said Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis  referred the matter to the PRC connected June 5.

ASIRT, a branch of the PRC, has now been directed to analyse the Level 1 complaint, which deals pinch incidents involving superior wounded aliases death, arsenic good arsenic superior aliases delicate allegations involving constabulary conduct.

ASIRT connected Thursday stressed the opening of an investigation is not a predetermined uncovering of misconduct.

“This investigation will beryllium conducted carefully, reasonably and without predetermined conclusions,” Matthew Block, ASIRT’s acting executive director, said successful a connection Thursday.

The Edmonton Police Commission, which provides governance and oversees EPS, acknowledged the ASIRT investigation successful a short connection connected Thursday but would not make anyone disposable to reply questions.

What happened 2 years ago?

Rattlesnake was drinking intoxicant and utilizing methamphetamine the nighttime of the sidesplitting connected April 22, 2023, tribunal heard.

Nina was nether Rattlesnake’s attraction astatine the clip of her death, astatine the petition of the child’s begetter who was down bars.

Nina was recovered lying connected the level bleeding adjacent to a spread successful the wall, but it’s not known really she sustained her fatal caput injury.

Court heard Rattlesnake didn’t telephone 911 and alternatively asked acquaintances for help. Four others were charged successful the case.

BERITAJA spoke pinch a female who called 911 aft proceeding a rumour that a kid whitethorn person been earnestly injured aliases was dead.

She said her nephew told her he showed up astatine the flat wherever the kid was allegedly injured and saw an unconscious woman pinch a caput coiled successful a chamber and a dent connected the wall.

On April 24, 2023, constabulary stopped by a location adjacent 87 Avenue and 165 Street successful westbound Edmonton to cheque successful connected the well-being of a child.

When Nina was obscurity to beryllium found, officers began investigating. There were “suspicious circumstances,” and EPS said the homicide conception took complete the case.

Nina’s assemblage was recovered a fewer days later connected Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, which is located about a one-hour thrust southbound of Edmonton.

An autopsy recovered the woman died of blunt effect trauma, and the decease was confirmed to beryllium a homicide.

The autopsy besides showed the woman was chronically abused. She had previous, aggregate surgery bones and injuries. She besides had sepsis because of an untreated infected surgery tooth, which reduced her chances of surviving the caput injury.

Even earlier Nina was found, police believed she whitethorn person been killed. Rattlesnake, 27 astatine the time, was arrested and charged pinch first-degree execution and indignity to a dormant body.

Four different group were besides charged pinch accessory to execution and indignity to a dormant body.