Winnipeg teens charged in 'random' homicide

Last Updated: Friday, October 27, 2006 | 9:59 AM CT

CBC News

Three teens and a 12-year-old girl were charged with second-degree murder in what Winnipeg police called a random act of violence.

Police charged the youths — the 12-year-old girl, two 14-year-old girls and a 15-year-old boy — in connection with the beating death of Audrey Daphne Cooper, 34, early Saturday morning.

Cooper was found in front of a residence in the 500 block of Spence Street around 2:45 a.m. Saturday, suffering from life-threatening injuries. She later died in hospital.

"There's no indication that these youths knew her whatsoever," Sgt. Kelly Dennison said Thursday. "It seems to be a random act of violence."

Police allege Cooper had been confronted by the group, then was kicked and punched around the head and upper body.

 

'No reason' for victim to die: acquaintance

Brett Harris, who lives in the Spence neighbourhood and was an acquaintance of the victim, described Cooper as an "outgoing, friendly, beautiful" girl. He said her death came as a shock to him.

"Made me sick. She was a nice person. There's no reason for that at all," Harris said.

Spence resident Crystal Tataquason said she she often sees groups of children wandering the streets. The mother of two young children said she wonders what role models those kids have at home.

"Well, you can't blame the kids. For one, it could be the parents' fault for not giving them love like they should be," she said.

Inonge Aliaga, director of the Spence Neighbourhood Association, assessed the attack as the result of not enough programs and resources to help kids in the neighbourhood.

"Nobody is connecting with them, no one's giving them opportunities to build skills, or to do positive things and they're just left to their own devices," she said Thursday.

"They're just angry, you know. They see a world out there that they have no access to … and nobody's helping them build those bridges, so that they can take steps forward in the right direction."

'Where are the parents?': Tory leader

The incident was the latest in a recent string of violent offences committed by children and youth.

The provincial Conservatives reacted to news of the homicide charges Wednesday, saying parents should be held responsible for the acts of their children.

Tory Leader Hugh McFadyen called the homicide "brutal" and said parents, as well as governments, must play a role in reversing what he called a trend of being too soft on juvenile offenders.

"I think parental responsibility is crucial in all of this. You look at the issue of why 12-year-olds are on the street at 2:45 in the morning. I mean, that just shouldn't be happening," McFadyen said Thursday.

"Never mind being on the street, but conducting and engaging in the sort of brutal activity that's been alleged here is unbelievable. And so, where are the parents?"

Earlier this month, a group of Winnipeg children ages 7 to 11 allegedly forced a 14-year-old disabled boy into a playground shed and set it on fire.

In a separate incident, a 12-year-old boy on a central Manitoba reserve was charged with aggravated assault after a girl, 11, was pinned down, doused with insect repellent and set on fire in what was called a dangerous game. Two 11-year-old boys involved in the incident were deemed too young to be charged.

McFadyen pointed out that it was his party that brought in the Parental Responsibility Act under former premier Gary Filmon in 1996.

The act allows victims of property crimes committed by minors to sue their parents or guardians for amounts up to $7,500.

In order to sue under the act, the victim must prove that the child deliberately committed the property crime and wasn't properly supervised or monitored by his or her parents.

But NDP Justice Minister Dave Chomiak said Thursday that there are limits to what the act can do. He pointed out that since the bill was enacted, about 100 parents have been fined for various crimes — but the parents implicated often cannot pay, he said.

"Let's be frank about the use of the act. When I looked through the cases, and I looked through them very quickly, the majority of them were unable to recover," Chomiak said.

"You can quite candidly look at the situation and assume it's pretty difficult in a lot of instances to be successful under that kind of an act."

Chomiak added that Manitoba already leads the country in programs designed to help young people at risk of getting into trouble with the law.