The trial for a woman charged in the death of her disabled daughter in 2016 continues in a Calgary courtroom and the Crown presented its final witness in the case on Thursday.
Patricia Couture, 70, is charged with criminal negligence causing death after her daughter Melissa was found dead in the family home on Woodridge Close S.W. on April 26, 2016.
Melissa, 38, had cerebral palsy and suffered from severe mental and physical disabilities and had the cognitive level of a three or four year old.
Her father, Bryan Couture, testified on Thursday and said that he visited her about once a week.
Patricia and Bryan Couture were divorced in 1998 and Patricia was Melissa’s primary care giver.
Couture told the court that his daughter was a ‘special gift’ and that she lost weight and could not move her arms or legs in the last months of her life.
He says he suggested several times that they take Melissa to a doctor but Patricia said she would think about it.
He added that he finally decided to remove Melissa from the home to get help but by then she was dead.
Court heard that Melissa weighed just 23 kilograms when she died from choking on food and Bryan Couture said he could smell human waste in the home and that Patricia told him it was the smell of demons living in the walls.
Bryan Couture was the Crown’s final witness and will be under cross examination on Friday.
Patricia Couture is expected to testify in her own defence.
