A woman from Charlottetown has admitted to committing infanticide concerning her infant daughter instead of facing a first-degree murder charge due to her mental condition at the time of the incident. Cassie Marie Acorn, aged 40, entered a guilty plea during a court appearance in Charlottetown, supported by her legal representative. The decision to charge Acorn with infanticide was influenced by her mental health state, including depression and postpartum depression, as confirmed by a psychiatric assessment conducted earlier.
According to the Crown’s office, although the assessment indicated that Acorn could be held criminally responsible for her child’s death, her mental state during the tragic event enabled her to plead guilty to the lesser charge of infanticide. Infanticide, as defined by Canada’s Criminal Code, involves a female causing the death of her newborn child while her mental faculties are disturbed due to recent childbirth or lactation.
Specific details surrounding the demise of the three-month-old infant, Winter Elizabeth Rose Acorn, were not disclosed during the recent court proceedings. More information is expected to be revealed during the sentencing hearing scheduled for early January in Acorn’s case. The incident came to light after the IWK Health Centre in Halifax notified Charlottetown police about an infant admitted with a fractured skull, who tragically passed away three days later, leading to the initial first-degree murder charge against Acorn.
Acorn’s legal counsel stated that they would not be requesting a pre-sentence report, highlighting that the evaluation report contains substantial information that Chief Provincial Court Judge Jeff Lantz may consider in determining the sentencing. The maximum penalty for infanticide under Canadian law is five years of imprisonment.