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This website’s article includes “11 unsolved Canadian murder mysteries.” This is relevant to my topic of murder because this article covers UNSOLVED murders – and what they do and do not know about them.

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11 Unsolved Canadian Murder Mysteries You Won't Believe Are True

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This website’s article includes the “apology” from Meika Jordan’s biological father and step-mother. This is relevant both, to my topic of murder and to the case of Meika Jordan due to apologies never being enough, especially for murders. Murders are considered one of the most serious offences due to there being no remedy of death.

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An apology by the father and stepmother of Meika Jordan, convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced on Friday to life with no parole for 17 years for the torture death of the six-year-old girl, was far past due, say the girl's mother and stepfather.

"I thought it was too little, too late, something that should have happened four years ago," the girl's mother Kyla Woodhouse said outside court.

"When it comes down to it, it was decent of them to offer that to us. It's a little bit of closure on our end to see them show some emotion and humanity out of this. But in no way do we accept it. It's nothing people can apologize for."

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Rosemary Nation said in sentencing the girl's father Spencer Jordan, 28, and stepmother Marie Magoon, 26, that it was difficult to fathom how someone could do such heinous acts to a child.

"Words cannot describe the egregious nature of this crime," she said. "That a parent and caregiver can abuse a child in such a way is horrendous. Children are our most prized ... they are our future."

Jordan and Magoon earlier told a courtroom packed with family and friends of the girl that they were sorry for the trauma they caused as a result of the fatal injuries they inflicted on Meika over the Nov. 10-13, 2011, weekend.

"I'm sorry, but sorry doesn't bring her back," Spencer Jordan, 28, told the girl's family and friends, his voice cracking. "Sorry doesn't bring her back, but I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry her brothers and sisters will not see her grow up.

"The victim is not me. (Meika) died in my care, under my roof. It's my responsibility. I loved Meika, I still do and I miss her every single day. If I could bring her back, I would ..."

Magoon, 26, was also emotional in reading her written statement.

"I'm really sorry for all the pain and suffering I caused," she said. "It bothers me every day that I failed her. I really am sorry. I feel a lot of shame and I deeply regret my actions.

"My actions were painful, cruel and unforgivable. There are no excuses for my irresponsible behaviour. I wish I could take it all back. I have a great deal of remorse. I will do everything in my power to get better. I'm really sorry, Kyla, for taking your baby away. She was a beautiful soul."

Before reading their statements, the couple listened intently as Kyla and Brian Woodhouse, Kyla's sister Brittany Pinnell, Meika's grandfather Kevin Kushner, and step-grandmother Heather Grady read their gut-wrenching victim impact statements.

"How does anyone put into words the loss of a child, my child, my baby girl," a sobbing Kyla Woodhouse said. "Words cannot express the pain and loss, the sorrow and anguish, the sheer devastation myself and family have experienced these last few years without our Meika.

"I will never again get to see her smile, hear her laugh or watch her play, never get to meet her best friends or boyfriends, teach her how to do makeup or accessorize an outfit," Woodhouse said.

"These things have been stolen from me in the worst way possible, by someone I once trusted. The feelings that run through me every day, I have to try to forgive and forget but the truth is I will never forget. I will not let her death be in vain."

Brian Woodhouse said Jordan and Magoon forced him to live through a parents' worst nightmare, to receive the news in the middle of the night from officers at the door telling them of their child's horrific injuries.

"But what you continued to do was much worse, so heinous and selfish," he said. "You forced us to stand with you as we said our final goodbye and listened to her heart take its final beat. You forced us to allow you to be part of the decision making in the funeral for the child you murdered, sharing with you our day of grief and having to look into your faces as I stood before all and said our final goodbye that you forced us to have to say."

Outside court, he told reporters he was pleased with the sentence, in that their kids will be of legal age before the killers can get out of prison and are able to look at anybody again.

"To know everything we went through didn't fall on deaf ears and the judge heard our pleas, to know our side of things, is satisfying," Brian Woodhouse said.

Crown prosecutors Susan Pepper and Hyatt Mograbee, who sought a sentence without parole for 21 years, were nevertheless content with the judge's reasons.

"When a person is convicted, as they were convicted of murdering a child while in a position of trust, that brings up the sentence," Mograbee said. "The sentence was within the range we proposed."

Pepper said the case has been a long, arduous ordeal, and it is a relief for everybody.

"We were privileged to work with some many excellent people - police, experts, other citizens," said Pepper. "But we want to acknowledge how grateful this has been for family - Kyla, Brian, family and friends. They've been here every step of the way. We hope they have happier times and bring an end to a horrible chapter in their lives."

Pepper earlier told the judge that Meika Jordan's death "involved abuse and suffering of a child at the hands of Jordan and Magoon over a long period of time.

"The court found as fact that Meika Jordan sustained head injuries, abdominal injuries, multiple bruises and abrasions when she was dragged over various surfaces, pulled up the stairs by her hair, she was missing hair, and had a burn on her hand from being held over a lighter."

She also said the couple's attempt to cover up the crime and failing to call 911 until it was too late are both aggravating factors that call for a longer prison sentence.

Magoon's lawyer, Allan Fay, agreed with the Crown that his client deserved to spend more than the minimum required time in prison before becoming eligible for parole. But he said 13 to 15 years was appropriate.

"This case falls into the spectrum of horrendousness," Fay added. "It's hard for any of us to fathom how this could come to be. My client appreciates the tremendous trauma the family has suffered because of this incident. She acknowledges the feelings they have on her."

Jordan's lawyer Mitch Stephensen said his client, obviously, was "not the best father, but not for lack of trying."

He sought a parole ineligibility period of 10 to 12 years.

"He wasn't a cruel dad," he said. "Mr. Jordan loved his daughter, too. He's a victim here. You can blame him, but no one blames him more than himself."

Stephensen noted that the judge, in convicting the parents of second-degree murder, decided they did not have the intent to kill, only that they recklessly caused the child's injuries.

Jordan and Magoon faced first-degree murder charges at the start of trial, but the judge convicted them of the lesser charge, which draws a parole period of 10 to 25 years.

Had they been convicted of first-degree murder, they would have been handed automatic life terms without parole for 25 years.
dslade@calgaryherald.com Twitter.com/heraldcourt

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Couple apologizes before getting life for causing death of Meika Jordan, 6

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An apology by the father and stepmother of Meika Jordan, convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced on Friday to life with no parole for 17 years for the torture death of the six-year-old girl, was far past due, say the girl's mother and stepfather.

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Canada’s Criminal Codes, including murder. This is relevant to my topic due to the Criminal Code including murder.

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This video includes how Canadian victims have a right to request information about federal offenders and other things.

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Government of Canada Services for Victims of Crime

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Thousands of Aboriginal women have gone missing or have been murdered in Canada, without any justice taken on their behalf. It goes into detail of how their families and other Aboriginal women feel, as well as how Justin Trudeau had made a “national public inquiry” of Aboriginal missing and murdered women.

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Canada's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women | Direct From with Dena Takruri - AJ+

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This video includes a neighbors’ observance of scratches on Meika’s face, and what the answer was to when he asked what had happened. This is relevant both to my topic of murder, and the case of Meika Jordan due to the available testimony evidence from this neighbour regarding abuse of Meika.

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Murder

Overview

Murder is an offence against a person that ends in death of that person. According to Section 222(1) of the Canadian Criminal Code, “homicide is an act that directly or indirectly causes the death of another person (Olivo, 2014).” The Canadian Criminal Code includes the controlled drug and substance act, the food and drugs act, the income tax act, and the youth criminal justice act (Olivo, 2014). The Criminal Codes were made to recognize “not just offences against victims, but also society as a whole (Olivo, 2014).” These offences are considered serious due to the victim being dead, therefore no remedy is available for the victim directly (Olivo, 2014). There is however, a remedy for the victims’ families which includes the remedy of the offender being indicted. To be convicted, one must possess mens rea which is evil intent with a guilty mind, and actus reus which is evil action involving guilt (Olivo, 2014). Mens rea is more complicated to prove however. Courts must find the motive of why a person has commit such an offence, and if they intended to commit this offence (Olivo, 2014). Regarding intent, there are two main area’s that prosecutors focus on to try and prove the intention of the offence; recklessness and wilful blindness (Olivo, 2014). Recklessness is knowing the consequences of the risks, whereas wilful blindness is knowing better, but closing the mind to the consequences (Olivo, 2014).

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1.    Murder

·       1st degree murder is described as planned or “premeditated” with actus reus or mens rea present. The sentencing is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 25 years from the sentencing date. Can be found in Canadian Criminal Code under sections 229-231(5) (Olivo, 2014).

·       2nd degree murder is described as intentional harm, although it is not planned or “premeditated.” 2nd degree murder is in the middle of 1st degree murder and voluntary manslaughter. The sentencing is also life imprisonment, although the possibility of parole is a less wait time – 10-25 years. Can be found in Canadian Criminal Code under sections 718-718.21 and section 745 (Olivo, 2014).

2.    Manslaughter

·       Voluntary manslaughter is described as deaths caused in “the heat of the moment” or by “crimes of passion.” Voluntary manslaughter has no cooling off period due to it being “in the heat of the moment,” so the intent of harm exists after the harm has already been caused (Olivo, 2014).

·       Involuntary manslaughter is described as deaths caused by lack of mental intent, otherwise known as negligence (Olivo, 2014).

·       Both voluntary and involuntary manslaughter offences are liable for life imprisonment (Olivo, 2014).

3.    Infanticide

·       Infanticide is described as new-born deaths caused by mothers in a mental states, found in section 233 of the Canadian Criminal Code. The sentencing consists of imprisonment for less than 5 years, as found in the Canadian Criminal Code under section 237 (Olivo, 2014).

Indictable Offences Processes

v Pleadings – arrest, appearance notice, summons, and bail hearing (Olivo, 2014).

v Pre-trial – disclosure/evidence and plea negotiations (Olivo, 2014).

v Trial – must prove guilt/innocence beyond a reasonable doubt, defence can present evidence too, and the judge and jury decides sentencing of acquittal or conviction (Olivo, 2014).

Parties to an Offence

§  Aiding and abetting – “to help, assist, or facilitate the commission of a crime (Olivo, 2014)” and “to encourage, incite, or set another on to commit a crime (Olivo, 2014).”

§  Counselling – “a person who advises or solicits another person to commit an offence (Olivo, 2014).”

§  Accessory after the fact – “someone who assists or protects another after the other person has committed a crime (Olivo, 2014).”

Defences

o   Automatism – “an unconscious, involuntary act, where the mind does not go with what is being done (Olivo, 2014).”

o   Duress – acted as results of threats to self or another person (Olivo, 2014).

o   Provocation – average person would lose control too, so charges reduced (Olivo, 2014).

o   Necessity – compelled to commit an offence (Olivo, 2014).

o   Self-defence – to fend off the attacker (Olivo, 2014).

o   Mental disorders – renders persons quality and nature of actions (Olivo, 2014).

o   Intoxication – can reduce charges (Olivo, 2014).

o   Consent – victims consented to action taken against them, like fighting (Olivo, 2014).

o   Mistake of fact – not knowing the facts of something, then leads to criminal charges (Olivo, 2014).

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Mei ka Jordan, the 6 year old who sustained such severe injuries eventually leading to her death and the murder charges of her biological father Spencer Jordan, and her step-mother Marie-Eve Magoon.

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The series of "cruel, degrading" and "deliberately harmful" punishments six-year-old Meika Jordan endured in the days before her death justified the first-degree murder convictions of her father and stepmother, the Supreme Court of Canada says in an explanation of its decision.

Last November, the nine-member Supreme Court panel upheld the convictions of Spencer Jordan and Marie Magoon in the beating death of Meika six years earlier. The country's highest court released the reasons for its decision Friday.

Lawyers for the couple argued last fall to overturn an Alberta Court of Appeal decision that upgraded Jordan and Magoon's original second-degree murder convictions after determining the little girl had been confined prior to her death, a stipulation that upgrades the severity of a murder offence.

At trial, court heard Meika was beaten, burned and tortured during a weekend stay at the home of Jordan and Magoon. She died Nov. 14, a day after paramedics found her unconscious.

In confirming Meika was unlawfully confined, the Supreme Court justices stated such a finding does not require evidence of a child being physically bound or locked up. Unlawful confinement can also result from evidence of controlling conduct, the panel stated.

"The acts of 'discipline' were grossly disproportionate, cruel, degrading, deliberately harmful, and far exceeded any acceptable form of parenting," the court wrote in its reasons.

The top court said while parents are entitled to restrict the liberty of their children, that right is not without limits.

"In short, disciplining a child by restricting his or her ability to move about freely (by physical or psychological means), contrary to the child's wishes, which exceeds the outer bounds of punishment that a parent or guardian could lawfully administer, constitutes unlawful confinement," the decision reads.

Jordan and Magoon are not eligible to apply for parole for 25 years. Their original second-degree murder convictions allowed for a parole request after 17 years.

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Supreme Court releases reasoning for upholding murder convictions in Meika Jordan case

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The series of "cruel, degrading" and "deliberately harmful" punishments six-year-old Meika Jordan endured in the days before her death justified the first-degree murder convictions of her father and stepmother, the Supreme Court of Canada says in an explanation of its decision.

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Condolences for a murdered girl in a school shooting. This is relevant to my topic of murder because THIS is what happens when people are murdered, especially young ones – people are affected by knowing how close to home such things had occurred and do things in acts of support such as candlelight ceremonies in this image.

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Jorge Zapata, Jr., center, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, holds candles with his mother Lavinia Zapata, and father Jorge Zapata, Sr., during a candlelight vigil for the victims of the shooting at the school.

People attend a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Nikolas Cruz, a former student, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder on Thursday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

People hoist up their candles during a vigil for the victims of the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Nikolas Cruz, a former student, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder on Thursday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Attendees raise their candles at a candlelight vigil for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in Parkland, Fla. The teenager accused of using a semi-automatic rifle to kill more than a dozen people and injuring others at a Florida high school confessed to carrying out one of the nation's deadliest school shootings and concealing extra ammunition in his backpack, according to a sheriff's department report released Thursday. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

PARKLAND, FL - FEBRUARY 16: Candles that were placed on crosses still glow after last nights vigil for victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, at Pine Trail Park, on February 16, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. Police arrested 19 year old former student Nikolas Cruz for killing 17 people at the high school. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

PARKLAND, FL - FEBRUARY 16: Candles still glow after last nights vigil for victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, at Pine Trail Park, on February 16, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. Police arrested 19 year old former studentÊNikolas Cruz for killing 17 people at the high school. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Flowers and crosses line a fence near the school on a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

PARKLAND, FL - FEBRUARY 16: A young women places flowers at a memorial site that honors victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, at Pine Trail Park on February 16, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. Police arrested 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz for killing 17 people at the high school. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Mourners leave flowers on a memorial for Meadow Pollack, one of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, sits in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

A memorial for Peter Wang, one of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, sits on a bandshell stage in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

Candles, flowers and stuffed animals serve as a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

NORTH LAUDERDALE, FL - FEBRUARY 16: Mourners are seen at the funeral of Alyssa Alhadeff at the Garden of Aaron at Star of David Memorial Gardens on February 16, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. Alhadeff was one of 17 people killed in the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Former student Nikolas Cruz has been arrested and charged for the 17 murders. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Candles, flowers and stuffed animals serve as a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018 A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

Mourners look at a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

Mourners look at candles, flowers and stuffed animals serving as a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

A memorial for student Joaquin Oliver and assistant football coach Aaron Feis, two of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, sits in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

Mourners place flowers on a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

Candles, flowers and stuffed animals serve as a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

A mourner kneels in front of a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

Candles, flowers and stuffed animals serve as a memorial for the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16, 2018. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Florida high school leaving 17 people dead and 15 injured. / AFP PHOTO / RHONA WISERHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Oakland School Police chief Jeff Godown (C) talks with Oakland Unified School District staff during an active shooter training at Cole Elementary School on February 16, 2018 in Oakland, California. Days after a gunman opened fire and killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, teachers and staff with the Oakland Unified School District participated in an active shooter training that discussed strategies on how to deal with active shooter situations in schools. The training had already been scheduled prior to the Florida shooting. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 16: A quote from a person that was witness to an active shooter situation is displayed during an active shooter training for Oakland Unified School District teachers, staff and administrators at Cole Elementary School on February 16, 2018 in Oakland, California. Days after a gunman opened fire and killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, teachers and staff with the Oakland Unified School District participated in an active shooter training that discussed strategies on how to deal with active shooter situations in schools. The training had already been scheduled prior to the Florida shooting. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

PARKLAND, FL - FEBRUARY 16: A young women places flowers at a memorial site that honors victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, at Pine Trail Park on February 16, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. Police arrested 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz for killing 17 people at the high school. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***

NORTH LAUDERDALE, FL - FEBRUARY 16: A program is seen from the funeral of Alyssa Alhadeff at the Garden of Aaron at Star of David Memorial Gardens on February 16, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. Alhadeff was one of 17 people killed in the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Former student Nikolas Cruz has been arrested and charged for the 17 murders. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***

Students released from a lockdown embrace following following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Medical personnel tend to a victim following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

In this frame grab from video provided by WPLG-TV, law enforcement personnel arrest an unidentified man (in dark red), following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. A former student opened fire at the Florida high school Wednesday, killing more than a dozen people and sending scores of students fleeing into the streets. (WPLG-TV via AP)

People gather waiting for word from students at Coral Springs Drive and the Sawgrass Expressway just south of the campus following following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Medical personnel tend to a victim following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Students released from a lockdown are overcome with emotion following following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

A law enforcement officer rushes toward Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following a shooting at the school in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

People gather at Coral Springs Drive and the Sawgrass Expressway just south of the campus waiting for word from students following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Teens, who walked out from the direction of the high school, are escorted by police following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Parkland, Fla. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Students are released from a lockdown following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Fire rescue vehicles converge at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following a shooting in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Condolences have been paid to a Northern Ireland family who lost a young girl in the Florida school shooting.

Seventeen people died after a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, has been charged with 17 counts of murder. Police say he has admitted carrying out the attack.

President Trump is set to meet with families and survivors of the devastating attack.

Cara Loughran (14) was among those killed in the massacre. Her brother who is also a student at the school and is thought to have witnessed the attack but survived.

It's understood their family is from Toomebridge and their grandmother still lives in the Co Antrim village. Their father is thought to have emigrated 15 years ago.

The tight-knit community was said to be shocked at the news and offered its condolences to the family.

TUV leader Jim Allister expressed his sympathies to the family.

"Condolences to local family in Toome after cruel murder of their granddaughter in Florida school attack," he said.

"Awful news for a family to receive."

Cara was described as an excellent student who loved the beach and her cousins, according to her family.

An aunt, Lindsay Fontana, wrote on Facebook: "I had to tell my 8-year-old daughters that their sweet cousin Cara was killed in the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School yesterday. We are absolutely gutted."

"While your thoughts are appreciated, I beg you to DO SOMETHING," she wrote. "This should not have happened to our niece Cara and it cannot happen to other people's families."

Cara's neighbour posted a picture of her cheering on a young boy riding a bike with training wheels.

"RIP Cara," Danny Vogel wrote, "and fly with the angels. You will be greatly missed, and we will always love you and celebrate your beautiful life."

This morning, I had to tell my 8-year-old daughters that their sweet cousin Cara was killed in the shooting at Stoneman...
Posted by Lindsay Fontana on Thursday, February 15, 2018

Belfast Telegraph Digital

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Exclusive Revealed: A-level league table for Northern Ireland - Catholic schools dominate top positions

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Opinion: Topical and political cartoons from Belfast Telegraph

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Florida school shooting: Condolences for Northern Ireland family after girl killed - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

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Condolences have been paid to a Northern Ireland family who lost a young girl in the Florida school shooting. Seventeen people died after a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday. Nikolas Cruz, 19, has been charged with 17 counts of murder.

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1.    What did you learn about the topic that surprised you?

What I’ve learned that surprised me about the topic of “murder” is that there are many “defences” you can claim.

2.    What are you most likely to remember from this research?

I think I am most likely to remember from this research based on murder that even if you are charged with second degree murder at first, it can upgrade to first degree murder based on the circumstances.

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Supreme Court of Canada

R.v. Magoon

The case I’ve chosen relates to my topic of murder due to the fact that the victim died of physical abuse in 2011. The victim, 6 year old Meika Jordan, died after spending a weekend with her biological father, Spencer Jordan, and her step-mother, Marie-Eve Magoon. Meika suffered serious abuse such as being burned deliberately, hit in the head, and hit in the stomach so hard that it had actually caused internal organ damage. Spencer and Marie claimed that this abuse was a form of disciple/punishment. However, the “judge found that they intended to harm Meika in a way that was likely to cause her death, and that they were reckless about whether she actually died.” With that being said, they were charged with 2nd degree murder, as the judge was not satisfied “that they had unlawfully confined Meika while inflicting the injuries.” Furthermore, Spencer Jordan and Marie-Eve Magoon tried for an appeal but were denied on November 27th of 2017. This denial of an appeal allowed the Crown to appeal and upgrade the charges from 2nd degree murder to 1st degree murder based on that fact that Meika’s confinement was unlawful, and therefore was “an aggravating circumstance”, which is an element of the 1st degree. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed with the Crown’s position and the Alberta Court of Appeals that these actions were beyond discipline/punishment, making the charges upgrade from second to first degree murder (Alberta, 2019). There has not yet been an outcome of this case. However;

·       First degree murder carries an automatic life sentence without parole for 25 years.

·       Unlawful confinement does not need to be physical, as it can just be controlling conduct that results in confinement.

·       In parenting cases, parents abuse their child beyond acceptable forms of parenting “styles” and therefore lose their authority to restricting their own child’s liberty.