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My thoughts and research gathered about Maria Shepherd.

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After the accusations of Kassandra's death, it was discovered that the real reason was due to natural causes.

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With a powerful pathologist set to deliver testimony that would link her to her stepdaughter's death, Maria Shepherd faced a stark choice: Plead guilty or risk losing her other children permanently.

Pregnant with her fourth child, Shepherd settled on the option that promised a shorter sentence, early parole and the prospect of quickly reuniting with her family.

Under what she describes today as "extreme" pressure, Shepherd pleaded guilty in 1992 to manslaughter in the death of her stepdaughter, Kasandra, 3.

"I needed to do what I had to do to protect myself and my family," said Shepherd. "Being separated from the children is probably the worst thing I could imagine at the time."

Nearly 17 years later, with new evidence exposing pathologist Dr. Charles Smith's work in the case as "complete nonsense," the Ontario Court of Appeal took the unusual step yesterday of allowing Shepherd, 39, to appeal her conviction.

A 1997 inquest into Kasandra's death, which Smith alleged was caused by a blow to the head, ended with 73 recommendations aimed at getting society to take child abuse more seriously.

In a report prepared for the Goudge inquiry into flaws in the province's pediatric forensic pathology system, Dr. Michael Pollanen, Ontario's chief forensic pathologist, said it is unclear if Kasandra died from a head injury. He said there is evidence to suggest she died of natural causes, such as epilepsy.

Shepherd was a young mother with three children in 1991. Kasandra was her husband's daughter from a previous relationship. That January, Kasandra began to lose weight and developed the first of a series of illnesses, which doctors variously attributed to flu, a blood disorder or emotional trauma stemming from her parents' custody battle. She had been vomiting the day she died, April 11, 1991.

That day, Shepherd heard a thump on the floor of an upstairs bedroom and discovered her oldest daughter, Natasha, had fallen out of bed. As she attempted to rescue Natasha, Shepherd said, she pushed Kasandra out of the way with a backhanded sweeping motion.

Smith would later suggest the incident created a doughnut-shaped bruise in tissue deep beneath Kasandra's skull. He asked police to see if they could find an object similar in size and shape to the bruise. They produced Shepherd's wristwatch. Holding the watch over a photograph of the bruise, Smith pronounced it "a very nice fit."

Dr. Helen Whitwell, a forensic pathologist for Britain's Home Office who reviewed the case, said Smith's "overlay" technique was "complete nonsense."

Kasandra's case was one of 20 in which Smith was found to have committed fundamental errors by the Goudge inquiry. But in 1991, after Shepherd had been charged, Smith's opinion was virtually impossible to challenge in court.

His views "had a huge effect on the lawyers representing me and was a critical factor in my decision to plead guilty to manslaughter," Shepherd, a clothing store manager, said in an affidavit.

Pleading guilty allowed her to avoid spending up to five years in a Kingston prison. Instead, she was sentenced to two years less a day in a Brampton reformatory, near her parents' home. As a condition of bail, her children were placed in the custody of Shepherd's mother. It took three years of legal battles to put the family back together.

Shepherd's lawyer James Lockyer said the appeal will likely be heard next year.

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With a powerful pathologist set to deliver testimony that would link her to her stepdaughter's death, Maria Shepherd faced a stark choice: Plead guilty or risk losing her other children permanently. Pregnant with her fourth child, Shepherd settled on the option that promised a shorter sentence, early parole and the prospect of quickly reuniting with her family.

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A photo of Maria Shepherd with her children, Jordan, Natasha, Chelsea, Chanel and her husband Ashley, who all remained by her side.

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Maria celebrating with her father, Ramon after a long battle of fighting for her innocence. This shows that Maria choose never to give up, eventually leading to the accurate outcome in the end.

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Maria being the 21st person Innocence Canada helped. She was being accused of Kassandra (stepdaughters) death spending 8 months in prison for a crime she did not commit.

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Maria, despite her guilty plea continued to maintain her innocence and never gave up hope of one day being able to clear her name. In 2005, Kasandra's case, amongst others, were re-examined when complaints about Smith's work led to a review of his cases by the Ontario Coroner's Office.

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Testimony of child pathologist Charles Smith after errors in more than a dozen child deaths tearing families apart and ruining life's of others. This is important to Maria Shepherd's case because he is the reason she was falsely accused of her step daughters death after 25 years.

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Miscarriage of Justice ~ Neil Miller Case ~ Mistaken Identity

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Philadelphia Court DHS Victims Claims Data R

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Smith begins testifying in child deaths inquiry

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Discredited child pathologist Charles Smith has started testifying at a public inquiry probing systemic errors in pediatric forensics in Ontario.

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Maria talking about pleading guilty to man-slaughter in court to sacrifice her freedom to keep herself and her family safe.

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Maria Shepherd talks about the day of her manslaughter conviction in the death of her stepdaughter

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Footage of Maria forgiving the doctor after 25 years who convicted her of such a brutal crime so that her family and her self can move on from this and in hopes to relieve this burden from his back.

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Mom acquitted of manslaughter says she forgives disgraced doctor

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Maria Shepherd speaking after acquittal in 2016

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pleading guilty in 1992, Maria is now free from her past after pathologist Charles Smith's opinion was inaccurate leading to many other wrongful convictions.

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Ontario's top court has formally acquitted a woman who pleaded guilty 25 years ago to killing her three-year-old
stepdaughter.

The decision in favour of Maria Shepherd, of Brampton, Ont., came after a short hearing at the urging of both Crown and defence.

The Court of Appeal for Ontario took just a few minutes to render its decision.

Shepherd pleaded guilty in 1992 to manslaughter in the death of Kasandra Shepherd following evidence presented by now-disgraced pathologist Charles Smith.

Defence lawyer, James Lockyer, with the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, told the justices that other experts have now concluded Smith's opinion was seriously flawed.

'Miscarriage of justice'

Crown attorney Howard Leibovich agreed, and urged Shepherd's conviction be quashed in favour of an acquittal.

He said a "miscarriage of justice" had occurred, and Shepherd would not have pleaded guilty had she known what she knows now.

"This is a tragic case," Leibovich said. "Kasandra deserved better. Her family deserved better. [Shepherd] deserved better."

Speaking for the court, Justice David Watt exonerated Shepherd, saying Smith's evidence had been the "linchpin" for the Crown's case against her.

The justice system, he said, held out a "powerful inducement" for her to plead guilty given that she faced a possible lengthy prison sentence had she been convicted after a trial, Watt said.

"The appeal is allowed," Watt said. "The plea of guilty and conviction is set aside and an acquittal entered."

Smith's autopsy on the girl was one of many suspicious child deaths he had done, several leading to wrongful convictions.

Speaking to reporters outside the court shortly after her conviction was quashed, Shepherd said she was "elated" by the decision after wearing the label of "baby killer" for more than two decades.

"This didn't come without a lot of quiet tears and anguish at home," she said. "I am innoc ent. I didn't do anything but care for Kasandra . I loved her as if she was born to me."

Shepherd said she forgives Smith, who she said was treated "like a God" by those in the court system.

A 'long and terrible ordeal'

A review of Smith's work and subsequent public inquiry uncovered numerous examples where he made serious mistakes. He was stripped of his medical licence in 2011.

Court documents show Kasandra began vomiting and became unresponsive in April 1991 after a long period of ill health. She died two days after being admitted to hospital.

Smith concluded she died from trauma due to at least one blow of "significant force."

Shepherd had told police she pushed the child once, with her wrist and watch hitting the girl on the back of the head, but said she didn't believe the blow could have killed the girl.

'I did not cause Kasandra's death'

Her lawyer at the time consulted an outside expert who agreed Smith's theory was reasonable, prompting her to plead guilty to manslaughter. She was sentenced to two years less a day.

"I did not cause Kasandra's death, and my conviction for doing so has haunted me ever since," Shepherd said in a recent affidavit.

Forensic experts have now concluded Smith's testimony at Shepherd's court hearing contained a "number of significant
errors."

The theory now is that Kasandra may have had a previous brain injury that caused seizures or that she suddenly developed a seizure disorder that killed her.

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Maria Shepherd 'elated' after 1992 conviction in stepdaughter's death quashed | CBC News

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Ontario's top court has formally acquitted a woman who pleaded guilty 25 years ago to killing her three-year-old stepdaughter. The decision in favour of Maria Shepherd, of Brampton, Ont., came after a short hearing at the urging of both Crown and defence. The Court of Appeal for Ontario took just a few minutes to render its decision.