Teen charged with second-degree murder after newborn's death
Last Updated: Thursday, November 9, 2006 | 6:55 AM ET
CBC News
A 16-year-old teenager who gave birth to a baby boy found dead in a forest north of Montreal has been charged with second-degree murder and six other related charges.
The teen appeared in a St-Jerome youth court Wednesday where charges including infanticide and criminal negligence causing death were filed against her.
She was arrested Tuesday, two days after police discovered the newborn's body in a forest in Sainte-Sophie, near the town of Mirabel.
Police say the teen gave birth on the weekend at her mother's boyfriend's house in Sainte-Sophie.
During the hearing, the Crown prosecutor asked the court to try the teen as an adult.
"We have to acknowledge that a young baby died, and that it's serious, and it's a serious offence. I think that we cannot let that go," said Claudia Carbonneau, who is prosecuting the case.
Trying the teen as an adult would send a strong message to other youth in the province, she added.
"When they do things and when they have sexual activity, there are consequences and there can be very serious consequences to what happens."
The young woman will undergo a psychiatric evaluation in Montreal, at the Pinel Institute, before she returns to court for her bail hearing in early December.
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
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