Woman convicted of manslaughter in sex-slaying of Edmonton girl gets 12 years

Stephanie Bird, 20, showed no emotion as the judge handed her a 12-year prison term for manslaughter, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault in the slaying of Nina Courtepatte.

The sentence was then reduced by three years to credit Bird for the time she has spent in custody. The Crown had sought a term of life in prison.

Bird was 17 at the time of Nina's slaying, but Justice June Ross ruled last week that she would be sentenced as an adult.

Outside court, Nina's mother, Peacha Atkinson, said her only solace was that Bird, who hit her daughter with a wrench and held down her hands while she was sexually assaulted, failed to get a ban on the publication of her name.

"She can't hide anymore. The public will know her name. I feel that other families will be safe," said Atkinson, surrounded by family and friends who hugged her to show their support.

"It was tough to hear that she got 12 years. It was kind of like a slap in the face."

Bird was the fourth person to be tried in the death of Nina, who was lured from West Edmonton Mall on April 3, 2005, with the promise of a bush party.

She was raped and beaten to death with a wrench and a sledgehammer, her bloodied corpse left on an Edmonton-area golf course.

Joseph Laboucan of Fort St. John, B.C., was found guilty of first-degree murder in a trial last year, while another man tried at the same time, Michael Briscoe of Edmonton, was acquitted Both decisions are being appealed.

A youth named Michael Williams pleaded guilty in December 2006 and was sentenced as an adult, while another girl's trial started this week.

Ross said she felt Bird could be rehabilitated and she didn't consider her to be as responsible as the others convicted in the case, because she left the crime scene before Nina was actually killed.

Ross also said she doesn't believe Bird to be a psychopath or at a high risk to reoffend. She noted the girl suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and grew up in an abusive atmosphere.

The judge added that Bird showed some remorse for her crimes when she tearfully apologized to Nina's family in court earlier this month after relatives read victim impact statements.

"She expressed real regret and reflected on what the family told her," Ross said. "I believed her."

At the time, however, the dead girl's relatives called the apology "lies from a remorseless monster."

The family was just as adamant on Friday.

"You can't rehabilitate evil. It is evil what they did," said Bert Atkinson, Nina's uncle. He acknowledged that he taunted Bird before leaving the courtroom, saying, "Say hello to prison justice."

Bird's lawyer, Colleen Connolly, had sought a permanent publication ban on her client's name. She argued that it would make it more difficult for her to rehabilitate by making it harder for her to take courses and counselling while in prison.

Connelly also said the notoriety of the crime could put Bird's safety at risk in jail.

But Ross explained that a ban on naming someone who is charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act ends if the court rules the accused must be sentenced as an adult.

She said Connelly failed to provide evidence to show that Bird could be harmed if she were named.

Ross also said that naming Bird would act as a deterrent to others.

The Crown is appealing Bird's acquittal on the original first-degree murder charge, a move that Peacha Atkinson says she prays will be successful.

"She deserves life. She deserves the Dangerous Offenders Act. All of them do."