Calgary murder trial hears from undercover officers in deaths of mother, toddler
The trial of a man who admitted to killing his girlfriend but not her young daughter heard Thursday about an undercover police operation that helped find their bodies in a shallow grave west of Calgary.
Robert Leeming, 36, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Jasmine Lovett and not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 22-month-old Aliyah Sanderson.
The mother and toddler were reported missing in April 2019 after they didn't show up for a family dinner. Leeming was initially arrested as a suspect but released without charges.
Court heard that a few weeks later, two undercover officers, working as part of Operation Highwood, approached Leeming on a street.
"The approach I made with him is that there's a bag of evidence that was found by a nosy neighbour and I'm telling him it's something he may want to take care of," testified one of the officers, who cannot be identified.
"I'm putting myself in a position with him to help him."
The officer said he and the other officer told Leeming they recognized him because of the media attention he had garnered as a suspect, and how the evidence "might be important to him."
The three men visited outside a coffee shop and had beers at a pub before the officers suggested they go to "the shop," a covert location where they could talk more freely.
Leeming agreed.
Robert Leeming, 34, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her 22-month-old daughter, Aliyah Sanderson."He was very relaxed, jovial in fact at times," testified the officer. "We were sharing stories back and forth and having a bit of a laugh throughout. He was more than comfortable going to the shop at that point."
The officer said they made a number of stops and ended up in Kananaskis Country. Then they took Leeming back to Calgary.
At some point, court heard, Leeming confided to the officers the location of the bodies.
Lovett and the child had been buried and covered with mulch, twigs and dirt at a day-use site in the Kananaskis area.
A medical examiner earlier testified that Lovett had skull fractures and had been shot in the head. Aliyah died of blunt force head trauma.
A digital forensics expert also testified that searches for "free mulch Calgary" had been deleted from Leeming's computer.
There were also messages on the computer between Leeming and Lovett talking about moving in together in October 2018. The trial heard the couple had met on a dating app a month before.
"'So if you're really 100 per cent on doing this I need to know cause I feel like I want to make that next step with you," wrote Lovett.
"So you think you wanna be with me forever? LOL,'' Leeming replied.
"LOL. Yah well it's going to be a new experience for both of us,'' Lovett said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Biden scores endorsements from Kennedy family, looking to shore up support against Trump and RFK Jr.
U.S. President Joe Biden will accept endorsements from at least 15 members of the Kennedy political family during a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Thursday as he aims to undermine Donald Trump and marginalize the candidacy of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Party's over: Coyotes play final game as Arizona franchise before move to Salt Lake City
Mullett Arena buzzed like few times in the two years since the Arizona Coyotes moved in, the fans amped for one last desert hurrah.