The woman’s conviction for attempting to kill her mother by injecting her with insulin has been upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada. The court rejected the argument that the jury should have been instructed on the difference between attempted murder and aiding suicide during the woman’s trial.
The incident occurred in June 2019 when a neighbor found the woman, identified as B.F., her mother, and her 19-month-old daughter unconscious in their home after being injected with insulin. While B.F. and her mother recovered, the child sustained serious injuries.
During the trial, the Crown argued that a custody dispute over the child provided a motive for the woman’s actions. The defense suggested that the mother could have self-administered the insulin to herself and her family.
Despite B.F.’s appeal, the Supreme Court reinstated her conviction for attempting to murder her mother, stating that the jury was adequately prepared to determine her guilt. The court clarified that since B.F. was not charged with aiding suicide, the jury did not need to consider this aspect in their deliberations.
Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin, on behalf of the majority, emphasized that there was no plausible scenario where B.F. assisted her mother in self-administering the insulin to end her own life. The court affirmed that the legal relationship between attempted murder and aiding suicide was not relevant to the case.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court’s decision restored B.F.’s conviction for attempted murder of her mother, while a new trial was ordered for the charge related to her child.